Jigen Sentai Crystalranger
by Timeless Dreamer Neo
Summary: When an ancient evil awakens, 5 heroes must stand and wield another ancient power. Solatorobo, Tail Concerto, Mamoru-kun, Super Sentai crossover, with aspects of Kingdom Hearts, and appearances of many other series. Currently re-uploading.
1. Prologue

Prologue: The Infinity Crystals

_Somewhere in space..._

"I assume you understand your mission," came the voice of someone via the transmission.

"Understood. The crystals have already begun reacting, which means that **it** is beginning to awaken," came the reply from the person standing at the console. Judging by the voice, the person was male. He wore what looked like a black cloak that wrapped around nearly his entire body from the neck down, just barely revealing his feet which were covered in what seemed to be black army style boots. His face and most of his head was covered by a black faceless helmet-like mask, with only the lower back of his head visible, revealing short spiky blond hair. The helmet was almost completely black save for two white lines running down on its sides, with a red, somewhat circular design on where the face should have been, giving it a somewhat cycloptic appearance. Under his cloak, it could be seen that he had a pair of purple gloves covering his hands, with a black body suit that had several silver highlights around the shoulders and down the arms. On the waist of his suit was a pair of hand guns, one on each side of his waist, and what looked like a sword handle and guard strapped to his left side.

"Yes, **it** must not be allowed to gain full control of even one world, lest **it** will begin the count down to a universal Armageddon. That's why the chosen ones must be found," the voice answered.

"And they will be. All five of the crystals have pointed me to this world, so it shall be a simple matter to find all five of them," the person nodded.

"Good, but don't forget..." the voice began.

"I know. If the mission is to succeed we must locate the last two, and find the remaining two chosen ones as well. Is that all?" the person stated.

"Yes, that is all. As much as I would like to help, but the higher ups have left this in your hands. I wish you luck, and remember, the chosen ones must not fail. God speed, Zero," the voice finished as the transmission was cut.

The person, now identified as Zero, moved to the controls. Activating his ship's cloaking field, he immediately set a course for the world that the five infinity crystals had flown towards. A world known as Little Tail Bronx.

"_I must not fail. Whoever the crystals choose, I must ensure that they both survive, and succeed in this mission, even if it cost every life I have left,_" Zero thought, strengthening his resolve as he entered the atmosphere. The ride was a bumpy one, but he eventually made it through to the world, revealing a world full of floating continents.

Author's Note:

Here is a brand new fanfic I came up with. I had one of those flashes of inspiration when I thought about this fic, but since I haven't really thought of a full plot, I might only update this fic occasionally. Enjoy


	2. Awaken! Crystalranger, Sanjou!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Zero, the infinity crystals, and the monsters.

(Opening theme: "Colors" by FLOW. OST Code Geass)

_*music*_

As the music starts, several flashes of light begin collecting into a ball, before flashes of red, blue, yellow, white, and black begin coming out of the ball, followed by pulsing waves and more flashes. Finally scene changes to show quick pictures of Red, Elh, Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia (in this order).

_Jibun wo sekai sae mo kaete shimaesou na Shunkan ha itsumo sugu soba ni..._

A ball of light breaks apart to reveal the five Infinity Crystal, which dance around the screen before splitting up into three directions. Scene then changes to show images of Shephered Republic, Prairie Kingdom, and Nippon (in this order).

_Kakusenu iradachi to_

The scene shows Red and Elh standing back to back (background: night sky, presumably on top of The Asmodeus), looking up at the sky, before the silhouette of Crystal Red and Crystal Blue appear next to them in the same position.

_tachitsukusu jibun wo _

The scene changes to show Waffle and Alicia holding hands as they stand side by side a top Resaca Tower, looking down at the scenery (background: morning, specifically sunrise), before the silhouettes of Crystal White and Crystal Black appear behind them.

_mitsume _

Scene changes to show a quick shot of Mamoru with the Crystal Yellow by his side (both of them mirror each other).

_Mayoinagara _

The scene shows Chocolat, Panta, Stare, and Flare standing on top The Asmodeus.

_nayaminagara _

The scene shows Princess Terria, Cyan, Chamberlain, Hound III, and Russel Ryebread standing in Prairie Castle (specifically the Throne Room).

_kuyaminagara _

The scene shows Merveille, Beluga, Opera, Gren, and Calua standing in The Golden Roar.

_kimereba ii sa _

Scene changes to show a flock of birds flying above the many floating continents.

_Kimi ga kureta kotoba hitotsu_ _tomadoi ha kiesari_

The scene shows a group shot of Red, Chocolat, Elh and the entire Kurvaz guild in Pharaoh. Then the scene changes to show a group shot of Mamoru, his father, and several rescue workers in Nippon. The scene changes again to show a group shot of Waffle and Alicia with the Prairie Police, the Prairie knights, and the rest of the black cats gang, along with Princess Terria in Porto. Finally the scene changes to show Zero standing alone in a meadow, before the meadow changes into the remains of a battle field.

_Karappo datta boku no heya ni hikari ga sashita _

The Infinity Crystals shine as the Rangers raise their weapons and release a bright light, which travels into the sky.

_Miageta oozora ga aoku sumikitte yuku _

The Crystal Animals are seen emerging from a portal in the sky, before performing their Crystal Gattai.

_Tozashita mado wo hiraku koto wo kimeta _

The Rangers are seen combining their weapons into the Crystal Blaster, before firing at the screen.

_Jibun wo sekai sae mo kaete shimaesou na _

The Gattai is seen fighting with it's saber against an unseen enemy.

_Shunkan wo kanjiru ima koko ni..._

The Gattai is seen charging up for its finisher, before bringing the saber down, causing a bright flash of light. The light then changes into the title.

(Opening song finish)

-PRCF-

Episode 1: Awaken! Crystalranger, Sanjou!

Life was peaceful for the people of Little Tail Bronx. For the past year, both the Caninu and the Felineko were enjoying a time of peace. Little did they know that the time of peace was about to come to an abrupt end...

-PRCF-

_Shepherd Republic..._

"What a beautiful day," Chocolat Gelato said, as she, her brother, Red Savarin, and their friend, Elh Melizee, were busy setting up a picnic. The three of them had decided to take the day off, while taking the time to relax on one of the islands of Davren.

"You can say that again," Red agreed with a big grin. It had been a year since the Tartaros incident. Baion had kept his promise, and had left Shepherd Republic alone. As a result, Shepherd Republic was in a state of peace that most if not all of Shepherd Republic wanted to maintain.

"I agree," Elh said with a smile. After the Tartaros incident, she and her fellow paladin, Beluga Damiens had finally been freed from their curse, The Curse of Eternal Youth. Ever since then, she had become a part of Red's crew and she had never been happier.

The three of them began enjoying the day, taking the time to relax and enjoy being in each other's presence. All in all, it was times like these that really made all their efforts during the Tartaros incident worthwhile. The day went on, and before any of them realized it, it was already getting late, and it was time to leave.

"Hm? What's this?" Red thought aloud. The three of them had been cleaning up, when he noticed two glowing objects on the ground. Curious, he decided to take a closer look.

"Whoa! Chocolat! Elh! Check this out!" he called out, catching their attention.

"What is it Red?" Elh asked, as she and Chocolat quickly approached him. Once they got close enough, their eyes widened considerably at the sight. In Red's hands were two crystals. Unlike the crystals usually used for power, the type of crystals that Red had in his hands were the rare type used to make expensive jewelry. In fact, words like rare or valuable barely did them any justice.

Chocolat was the first to get over the shock. "Heheh, looks like we hit the jackpot," she giggled at their good fortune.

"Wait," Elh stated when she noticed something odd about the crystals. For one, she noticed that one of the crystals, the red crystal, was glowing, while the other crystal, the blue crystal was not. Another thing she noticed was the traces of faint energy leaking out of the crystals.

"What's wrong, Elh?" Red asked.

"There's something strange about these crystals," she replied as she took a closer. Strangely enough, when she got closer, her hand moved by itself, and before she realized it, she had touched the blue crystal. The moment her hand made contact with the blue crystal, the crystal began to glow with the same intensity as the red crystal.

Suddenly, as though acknowledging them, the two crystals began glowing even brighter, until all three of them were blinded by the light. When the light subsided, Chocolat found herself alone with no sign of either her brother or her friend.

"Red? Elh?" Chocolat could only say, as she was completely at a loss of words.

-PRCF-

_Nippon..._

The fire blazed as it ate away at the building. In the midst of the chaos, rescue workers were rushing to rescue any civilians that were trapped inside, while fire fighters were busy dousing the flames with water, trying to put it out before it caused the building to collapse.

"Is that everyone?" one of the rescue workers asked, as his team brought out another of the civilians who had been trapped inside. However, a distraught cry from one of the rescued civilians quickly answered his question.

Turns out, that there was still one more civilian trapped inside, a little girl. Knowing this, the rescue workers were about to enter again to find her, but at that moment, a part of the ceiling collapsed, blocking most of the entrance with the only way in being too small for an adult. The rescue workers found themselves in a tough situation, as they couldn't break through without risking another cave-in, but at the same time, if they waited then the child could very well die.

It was at that moment that one of the fire fighters on the scene made his decision, and ran toward the building.

"Mamoru! Where are you going?" his father called out, seeing his son rushing straight to the building.

"I'm going to rescue the civilian! I can get in, and both of us can get out!" Mamoru called out in response.

His father nodded. "Alright, but be careful!" he said, earning a nod in response, as Mamoru crawled through the small opening.

The inside of the building was nearly a sea of flames as the flames inside had gotten worse. Mamoru wasted no time as he began looking for the little girl. "Hey! I'm here to help! If you can hear me, tell me where you are!" he called out, as he furiously ran through the hall, trying to locate the girl. "I'm here! Help!" came the reply. Hearing this, Mamoru quickly homed in on the voice, and found the girl hiding in a closet that luckily hadn't caught on fire. Acting quickly, he held on to her, as the both of them made their way out.

The fires outside had gotten worse. In fact, it looked like the building was about to collapse at any moment. Luckily, Mamoru and the girl came scrambling out of the building, just as the building started to collapse.

-PRCF-

The fire had finally been put out, even though it was too late to save the building. However, thankfully there were no lives lost. The little girl he saved was quickly in the embrace of her parents, who quickly began to thank Mamoru for his bravery. "Just doing my job," Mamoru replied with a smile.

Mamoru's father couldn't help but smile with pride at what his son had done. "Good job, son," he said, as he gave his son a pat on the shoulder.

Mamoru nodded in response, as he turned toward the ruins of the building. It was then that something got his attention. Among the rubble, he noticed something glowing with a yellow light. His curiosity getting the better of him, he walked over to the source of the glow, and picked it up. Wiping the dust off, his eyes widened at the sight of the yellow crystal in his hand, as he looked at it in wonder.

His father's call snapped him out of his staring. However, just as he turned to go back, the crystal glowed so brightly, that anyone watching was blinded. Eventually, the light subsided and when it cleared, Mamoru was gone.

-PRCF-

_Prairie..._

It was a peaceful day in the place known as Grimto. A white airship which bore the symbol of the Prairie Police Department approached, before landing as the pilot got out.

Waffle Ryebread stepped out of his airship before walking into the nearby entrance that led to the maze that was Grimto. Walking through the paths that the young Caninu had already memorized by heart, he waited once he had gotten to one of the deeper clearings. It wasn't long before he heard the sound of footsteps. Smiling slightly, he turned towards the source of the sound. "Hi Alicia," he said, as Alicia went to him and the two embraced. Waffle smiled again, as he looked at the face of his childhood friend, Alicia Priss.

The two of them had been secretly seeing each other for the last six months. It had started during one of the latest schemes of The Black Cats Gang six months ago. At that time, Waffle had been called in to stop them (again). This had led to another fight with the three Priss sisters, which once again ended with another of their robots being reduced to scrap by Waffle. The difference was that this time, the three sisters had been forced to split up when they made their escape. During this event, Waffle had ended up chasing after Alicia into an abandoned factory, where during the chase, Alicia had taken a wrong step on one of the railings and nearly fell to her death, had Waffle not managed to grab her in time. Having saved and at the same time caught her, Waffle had asked just why Alicia persisted with her actions in The Black Cats Gang. Alicia admitted that while she still wanted to fight for the rights of the Felineko that lived in Prairie, the real reason for her latest plan was really because she wanted to see him again. It was then, that she finally admitted that after all this time; she had fallen in love with him. After she said that, she turned away, not sure what his reaction would be. To her surprise, Waffle just hugged her, before saying that he loved her as well, much to her happiness at hearing him return her feelings.

After that incident, they had started seeing each other, or at least they wanted to. The only problem was that one way or another; she was a pirate, while he was a cop. Of course, this little detail didn't stop them, so they had started going off whenever they could to meet each other in various locations, though Grimto soon became their favorite. The only people, who knew about their little secret, were Alicia's sisters, Stare and Flare, along with Waffle's radio man, Panta.

The two of them spent their date about the same way they spent all their other dates. Just spending the time bonding, being in each other's presence and catching up since their childhood. However, during this particular date, something different was about to happen.

The two of them had spent a good hour or more talking as they walked through the various spots in Grimto, when something caught Waffle's eyes. "Hm?" Waffle mumbled, as he bent down to pick up what he saw.

"What is it, Waffle?" Alicia asked, just as Waffle opened his hand to show her. Her eyes widened at what she saw. In Waffle's hand were two crystals. One white crystal and one black crystal.

Waffle smiled, before saying, "You know, it's kinda funny that we'd find these two that are a lot like us," he said.

"What do you mean?" Alicia asked.

"You know, I'm a cop and you're a pirate," he started, as he pulled her closer. "But here we are together. Just like these crystals. Black and White," he finished.

Alicia nodded in understanding, as Waffle moved his hand closer to her, showing her the crystals. With a smile, she looked at the crystals, before choosing the black crystal. As though responding to her touch, the black crystal started glowing in her hand, just as the white crystal started glowing in Waffle's hand. Suddenly, the two crystals started to shine with increased intensity, which soon became a blinding light. The couple could only manage a surprised gasp, before the light became too bright for them. Once the light subsided, there was no trace of them.

-PRCF-

_Somewhere in the upper atmosphere..._

"_And so it begins,_" Zero thought, as his scanners detected the energy of the five crystals. When Zero's ship, The Wanderer, had entered the atmosphere, he had wasted no time in activating his scanners to search for The Infinity Crystals. He had started to get worried when he found that the crystals had split up, with two of them headed for a place known as Shepherd Republic, one headed for Nippon, and the last two headed for Prairie. However, he did gain some relief when he noticed that the three countries weren't that far, meaning his ship could still easily travel from one place to the other if necessary. Either way, his thoughts were now on the fact that all five crystals had found their respective users. Quickly activating the device that had been prepared for this occasion, he had triggered one of the shared abilities of the crystals: teleportation. Doing so, he channeled it in such a way that all five would be brought back to his ship. "_Now the question is how am I supposed to explain the situation to them?_" he mentally mused, knowing full well that what he was doing could very well be considered an abduction. "Oh well, I'll worry about it when I get there," he shrugged dismissively, before getting up and walking toward the teleportation platform in another room.

-PRCF-

"Ooof!" Red groaned as he landed on the ground. "Elh, are you okay?" he asked whilst rubbing the side of his head to relieve the headache he had.

"I'm alright," Elh replied as she got up, though she too was a little bit shaky.

Looking around, the two of them noticed that they weren't the only ones in the room. Even more surprising, was the fact that these people were none other than Waffle Rybread, Mamoru, and Alicia Priss.

"You guys too?" Red asked, as he and Elh walked over to check on them, as they were still getting the dizzyness out.

"Huh? Red? What are you doing here?" Waffle asked, surprise to see his friend. After all, the last thing he remembered was being with Alicia before he suddenly ended up in this metallic room.

"That's what we'd like to know," Elh said as she walked toward them. "Also, we are not the only ones," she added, as Mamoru and Alicia had gotten up.

"Where am I? What happened?" Mamoru asked, though he wasn't expecting an answer.

"What I'd like to know is who's responsible for this, so I can give them a piece of my mind," Alicia growled. She had really been enjoying her date with Waffle, and anyone who had the nerve to get in the way of that would (figuratively) find their heads on a pike.

"That would be me," came a voice, which judging from the sound, sounded like a young man.

The five of them looked up toward the source of the voice. When they saw who had said that, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru looked quizzically at the figure in black, while Red and Elh had their eyes widen in surprise. The figure they saw was dressed completely in black, with a flowing black cloak wrapped around him, along with a black faceless mask which hid his features, leaving only a little bit of his neck exposed, revealing skin, and not fur. What's more, from the shape of the mask, which covered most of his head, they had a pretty good idea as to what they were dealing with. The true ancestors of the Caninu and Felineko, which should have been extinct. A human.

"Welcome, chosen five, to The Wanderer," the human said, trying to make them feel welcome, though his emotionless and almost monotone voice made that difficult to do.

Seeing as it seemed like this person had no ill intent, Waffle stepped forward and tried to be civil. "Alright. Who are you? Why did you bring us here?" he asked.

"My name is of no importance. However, if you must, then call me Zero," Zero replied, before moving on to the next question. "As for why I brought you all here, it is to warn you all of an impending danger, not just to your world, but to all worlds."

"An impending danger? What are you talking about?" Red asked in alarm when he heard Zero's words.

"Alright. I will explain this in greater detail later, but for now, follow me to the bridge," Zero answered, before motioning to the stairs that were near them. The five of them followed him as he guided them to the bridge.

Along the way, Elh decided to ask the question that had been on her mind as well as Red's. "Zero," she stated.

"Yes?"

"I want to know, what are you?" she asked, though she had a pretty good idea.

"I think you already know that answer, and yes, I know all about the history of this world, and no, I am a human, but I am not a member of the old world," he stated, much to Elh's surprise, since it was almost like he had read her mind.

"Old world?" Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru asked when they heard it.

"Something for another time," Zero simply stated, as they arrived at an elevator that would take them to the bridge.

-PRCF-

_Meanwhile, at an unknown location..._

"It's been a long time," came a voice, though whom the voice belonged to was unknown.

"Oh yeeesss, I forgot. You died a year ago here," came another voice.

"It doesn't matter. Now I have returned, and I intend to have my revenge," the first voice retorted. Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a tiny crystal shard and a small crystal marble. Both were colored a venomous shade of purple, and glowed with an eerie light. Lifting up the marble, the figure smashed it against the ground, causing it to break into many pieces. The pieces began to glow, before they seemed to grow and when the process was done, a squad of strange creatures was present. The creatures looked humanoid, with all of them colored the same purple as the marble. Each had a spiky head that looked like a spike-ball, with no apparent face. Their bodies were relatively simple, looking like they were wearing purple body suits, while their right hands were cone shaped.

Nodding at the squad he had summoned, the figure then turned his attention to the small ant that he had prepared. Releasing the shard in his hand, he let it fall on the insect, before the shard was absorbed into the insect. The tiny insect twitched before it began mutating and growing until it was as tall as the figure. The creature that now stood where the insect had been was brown in color, with a purple diamond shape on its chest. The head and body were still relatively insect shaped, though the head looked more humanoid, with obvious intelligence. "I am Shatterant. What are your orders, Master?" Shatterant asked.

"Take these Frags, and destroy this city!" the figure ordered, as he showed a view of Pharaoh.

"At once," Shatterant nodded, before turning to leave, with the squad of Frags behind him.

-PRCF-

_The Wanderer, Bridge..._

"Let me begin from the very beginning," Zero started. "A long time ago, roughly around when the Multiverse was created, an ancient entity came into existence. This entity, for some reason, was comprised completely of evil, therefore threatening the new and delicate balance between good and evil. However, at the time there was no way to destroy the entity, and as such the entity had to be sealed away. However, the entity was more powerful than expected and thus was able to resist the initial attempts to seal it. In response to this, seven crystals that embodied both good and balance were created to balance out the evil of the entity. These crystals were known as The Infinity Crystals. With the power of the crystals, the entity was successfully sealed away into what is now known as the Demon Heart," Zero explained.

"The Demon Heart?" Elh asked, having a bad feeling about this.

"Correct. After the sealing, both the Demon Heart, and the Infinity Crystals were separated and hidden. However, after eons we accidentally uncovered five of the Infinity Crystals. Looking back, it was fortunate that we found them," Zero said.

"Why's that?" Mamoru asked.

"Because, a few years after the Crystals were uncovered, their powers began to react. Normally they are in a dormant state, but when their powers begin to surface, then that means that the seal of the Demon Heart is weakening," Zero explained.

"Okay, I get that you're warning us about the Demon Heart, but what does this have to do with us?" Red asked.

"I'm glad you asked. You see, the crystals don't just work for anyone. In fact, to a certain extent, the crystals are sentient. Enough so, that they can only be properly used by those that they choose, and only they have the power to stop The Demon Heart," Zero answered.

"So where are these crystals?" Alicia asked.

"That's easy. Each of you is holding one," was the answer, causing them to gasp as they pulled out their individual crystals, which were still glowing as though acknowledging them.

"Wait a minute, if these are the crystals, then does that mean...?" Waffle started.

"That's right. You five are the five chosen ones of the Infinity Crystals," Zero nodded, before continuing. "Ever since we confirmed that the Demon Heart was awakening, we have been preparing for it," Zero stated, as he pulled out a small brief case. Inside the brief case, there were five metal bands, each colored a dull gray. "These are your interface bands. By themselves, they don't have any power, but if used in conjunction with your Infinity Crystals, then their true power will be revealed," Zero said.

"True power?" Mamoru asked. Zero was about to answer, when an alarm suddenly went off.

"What the furballs is that?" Red asked as the alarms continued to ring.

Zero didn't respond. Instead, he immediately started typing on a nearby console, before bringing up a screen. "It has begun..." Zero stated ominously.

The five of them turned toward the screen and gasped. On the screen, they could see Pharaoh on fire as a small army of strange creatures were destroying anything and everything they could get their hands on, while slaughtering anyone that got in their way.

"There is no time for further explanation. Long story short, those are what we call Fragments, or Frags for short. They are The Demon Heart's basic foot soldiers. Your people, your world, and our universe need you. Now what is your decision? Are you going to accept this mission, or are you going to reject it?" Zero said, his tone no longer monotone, but was now dead serious.

The five of them didn't waste any time coming to a decision. They knew exactly what their answer was.

"I'm in," Red stated.

"Me too," Elh added.

"Count me in," Mamoru answered.

"I accept," Waffle stated.

"Same here," Alicia nodded.

"Good," Zero nodded in acknowledgment, before placing the Interface Bands in front of them. "Hold your left arm above the bands," he instructed, which they followed. In response, the bands suddenly jumped up, before wrapping around their left wrists.

"Now hold your crystals above the bands," Zero continued.

When they did as they were told, the crystals suddenly started to shine, before they flew around each of the individual bands, causing a bright light to shine. When the light subsided, on their left arms were identical devices. Each device had a somewhat squarish body which was colored white and had gold lines running from the bottom to the top, which ended in a circular part that had a round crystal in it, with each crystal being colored Red, Blue, Yellow, White, and Black respectively (The morphers are basically a re-design of the Ginga Braces from Seijuu Sentai Gingaman).

"These are your Crystal Braces. To use them, press on the crystal and call out the activation code," Zero instructed. They were about to ask him about the activation code, when suddenly they already knew what it was.

Nodding to each other, Red decided to take the lead.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready!" they replied.

"Crystal Access!" the five of them called out, as they activated their Crystal Braces.

(Insert henshin sequence)

Each of them was encased in a larger version of their respective Infinity Crystal, before the crystals broke apart to reveal each of them in matching uniforms that were colored red (Red), blue (Elh), yellow (Mamoru), white (Waffle), and black (Alicia) respectively (in Mamoru's case, he had actually gone through a growth spurt, resulting in him becoming only slightly shorter than Red). The suits they were wearing looked like basic ranger suits, with an emblem that looked like a seven pointed star, with each point being a different color (clockwise from the top: red, blue, yellow, white, black, silver, and gold) on their chest. Gold lines ran down their shoulders, and around their collars. On their arms and legs, they wore white gloves and boots with silver lines around the wrist and ankles. The finishing touch was their helmets that appeared on their heads. Each helmet was shaped accordingly to their species, with a black visor over their eyes, with the boys getting dog themed helmets, and the girls getting cat themed helmets.

(Henshin sequence end)

The five newly transformed Sentai Team wasted no time, as they immediately teleported down to Pharaoh.

-PRCF-

_Pharaoh..._

To say that things looked bad, was like saying the ocean was a bit wet. Beluga Damiens gritted his teeth, as he blasted another of the strange creatures that were attacking the town. However, he knew that he couldn't keep this up for long, as his robot, Salamander, had already suffered quite a beating. Not to mention that the creatures seemed to keep coming. All around him, various Kurvaz members, including Calua Napage, Gren Sacher, and Opera Kranz were busy fending off the attacks, but these creatures were relentless. Even worse, was the creature leading them. The insect like creature seemed to be able to constantly summon more of the weaker ones, and worse, every time they actually managed to shatter a part of its body, it would quickly reform.

"How many times do we have to break you until you stay broken?" Opera growled in annoyance, as Shatterant reformed his body again, even after being hit by several of Tiamat's mines, followed by a double team sword attack from both Mephisto and OverMephisto.

"This dude really doesn't give up," Calua said with his usual grin on his face.

"Either way, he will fall," Gren stated, as he readied Mephisto for another round.

"All of you have been amusing, but I grow tired of you. Begone," Shatterant hissed, before letting loose a concentrated blast of power, effectively knocking the Kurvaz members back. Shatterant began charging up again, intending to finish them off, when five streaks of light suddenly began zooming around the battle field. Sparks flew from both Shatterant and his Frags when the lights collided with them, damaging them heavily.

"What?" Beluga said in surprise at seeing the five lights.

The lights landed, before revealing five figures, specifically three Caninu and two Felineko judging by the outfits. Of course, anybody watching wasn't really all that sure what help they could be, especially since they were dressed like something out of a tv show.

As for the rangers, all five of them couldn't help but feel a bit giddy. Currently, their new found powers were making them at least ten times stronger than normal, and at least five times faster. Another aspect was that the whole time, their crystals had been feeding them information about their immediate arsenal, and to say the least, they were loving it.

Shatterant was not pleased. He was about to finish off the annoyances when these five got in the way. It wasn't until he was able to properly sense them did he realize what he was dealing with.

The Kurvaz watching were very surprised to see the monster that had wiped the floor with them promptly freeze, as though it was afraid of the five who had come (as much as it bruised their pride) to their rescue.

Shatterant was beyond afraid. In fact, he was absolutely terrified. The crystal shard in him had already recognized the energy coming from the five rangers as the energy of the Infinity Crystals, and it didn't help that in terms of power, Shatterant was actually quite low on the pecking order. Never the less, he managed to swallow the fear, before giving out his orders. "Destroy them! Destroy them now!" he roared, as all the Frags immediately began converging on the rangers.

The rangers wasted no time as they leaped into action. The first line of Frags was promptly pulverized as the rangers made use of their enhanced strength and speed. Red had grabbed the closest Frag, before pulling into a copy of Dahak MK2's Giant Swing, smashing several Frags, before smashing the Frag he had grabbed against a wall. Elh had taken advantage of the momentum from a Frag that had tried to charge at her, grabbing it and kneeing it, causing it to double over, before she performed a Judo slam, which sent the Frag flying into another group of Frags, sending them sprawling on the ground where they promptly shattered. Mamoru fought with a more defensive style, mostly blocking and evading attacks, which caused the Frags that were attacking him to become very frustrated. Deciding to attack him at once, they surrounded him, before thrusting their cone shaped arms at him, intending to spear him, but at the last moment, he jumped over them, causing them to accidentally spear each other, before they shattered. Waffle had grabbed one of the Frags that had charged at him, before twisting the arm, effectively pinning it, as he blocked several attacks, before throwing the pinned Frag into another Frag, causing both to shatter apart. Alicia had charged at a group of Frags aggressively, as she grabbed two of them and smashed them against each other, as she kicked a Frag that had tried to ram into her, before smashing it using both Frags she had caught, causing all three of them to shatter.

"Let's finish this! Courage Sword!" Red called out, as he summoned his weapon, The Courage Sword. The sword was colored a deep fiery red which looked like a standard sword, with the only difference being the handle guard that oddly enough, looked like it had a trigger on it. The sword charged up, leaving a trail of red colored energy with each movement, before Red slashed it at a row of Frags, releasing a shockwave that obliterated them.

"Agreed! Wisdom Staff!" Elh called out, as she summoned the Wisdom Staff. The staff was colored a bright aquatic blue. The staff was nearly as long as her, with a rainbow colored crystal attached to the top end, which could be used to amplify her spells, and a guard at the bottom end, which could be used as a melee weapon. Elh then started twirling the staff around, as though it were a baton, as a light blue wheel of energy appeared around it, before she swung her staff toward a group of Frags, sending the wheel of energy flying at them. When the wheel made contact, sparks started flying from them, before they shattered as their bodies couldn't take the strain.

"O-kay! Hope Shield!" Mamoru said, as his weapon appeared. The Hope Shield was colored a bright, almost golden shade of yellow, with it being shaped like a medieval shield used by knights. Several Frags had decided (or maybe remembered) to use their long range attacks, as they fired several bolts of energy from their heads. Mamoru quickly raised his shield to block the attacks and when the attacks connected, they were promptly absorbed by the shield. "Counter Blast!" Mamoru called out, as he fired the absorbed energy back as a large yellow wave of energy, causing the Frags to shatter as they were engulfed.

"It's over! Light Bow!" Waffle called out, as his weapon appeared in his right hand. The Light Bow was a pure white bow with bladed edges to use as a melee weapon, and no apparent string. Waffle immediately aimed the bow at a row of Frags, before moving his left hand in a way that looked like he was pulling a string. An arrow of white energy suddenly appeared in the bow, before Waffle released it, causing it to fly and blast right through the row of Frags, shattering all of them.

"Here I come! Dark Whip!" Alicia yelled, as she pulled out her weapon. The Dark Whip looked like a small black whip handle. Swinging it around, a long whip made out of black energy appeared from the handle. Alicia then started lashing around with it, smashing through all the remaining Frags until none were left.

"Looks like it's just you and us," Alicia remarked with a smirk, as the five of them walked toward Shatterant.

If it were possible, Shatterant would have paled, but he swallowed his fear and fired several blast of energy, forcing them to evade. Shatterant charged up again, before firing another concentrated blast of energy, only for it to be blocked and absorbed by Mamoru's Hope Shield. Mamoru charged, as the energy from his shield formed and aura in front of him as he barreled at Shatterant. Shatterant was so focused on trying to break through the shield, that by the time he realized it, Mamoru had rammed into him with enough force that it sent him flying back a few feet. Taking advantage of this, Waffle and Alicia quickly ran towards him, before both of them lashed out at him, striking him in an X pattern, causing more sparks to fly as Shatterant roared in pain. Right behind Waffle and Alicia, Red and Elh had been ready with their attacks. Red had turned the blade on his Courage Sword in a 90 degree angle, before pushing it down so that the blade was resting on the trigger, causing the blade to split, revealing a gun barrel in the middle. The moment Waffle and Alicia were out of the firing range, Red and Elh let loose several shots from their weapons (energy bullets from Red, and magic bolts from Elh), which damaged Shatteran even further, causing him to stagger.

"Time to end this!" Red announced, as they began combining their weapons.

The Light Bow was attached on top of the Courage Sword's barrel, followed by the Wisdom Staff, which was split into two halves, before being attached to the two edges of The Light Bow. Following this, the Hope Shield was attached on top of the Light Bow, locking it into place. The finishing touch, was the Dark Whip, which was placed under the Courage Sword's barrel. When the process was complete, the five weapons had formed the Crystal Blaster.

"Crystal Blaster!" they called out, as they leveled the weapon so that it was aiming right at Shatterant, who was still slightly dazed. "Prism Wave!" they called out, as Red pulled the trigger. The entire weapon glowed as it charged up, before unleashing a multi colored laser blast which struck Shatterant dead in the chest. Shatterant's body was now covered in sparks as he was damaged beyond his limit. He staggered for a bit, before his body crystalized and shattered. The crystal fragments fell to the ground, before a few of them came together, revealing the insect used to create Shatterant. The insect glowed for a moment, before the shard that was used on it came out and shattered.

The town people who had been hiding came out as they watched the team of heroes who had defeated the monster. It started out with a clap, before it quickly turned into loud cheers, as the crowd, both town folks and Kurvaz, cheered for the heroes that had saved them.

The Rangers seemed surprised at the response they were getting, before they nodded and waved, before teleporting away in flashes of light. Even when they were gone, the cheers kept on going.

-PRCF-

"Dude, that was awesome!" Calua said, as he and the other Kurvaz returned to The Golden Roar.

"Indeed, they were impressive," Gren nodded.

"They certainly were, Gren darling," Opera said with her usual flirty tone.

"However, I wonder who they were," Beluga said.

"Either way, it is fortunate that all of you were able to return safely," Merveille Million, head researcher of the Kurvaz, stated.

"Yeah, it's a good thing everyone was alright in the end," Chocolat agreed. Earlier she had gone straight to the Golden Roar after Red and Elh dissapeared. After telling what happened, Beluga had agreed to help her look for them. Unfortunately, not long after that the attack on Pharaoh started, forcing the search plan to be put on hold for the moment. During the time, she and Merveille had watched the whole battle, and needless to say, they were all intrigued about their mysterious rescuers.

"Either way, we had better start searching for Red and Elh. Somehow I get the feeling that the two of them disappearing has something to do with those creatures that attacked Pharaoh," Beluga stated, bringing up a very valid point. From that statement, he and the others were beginning to wonder just what was going on. If Red and Elh had only disappeared, then it would be one thing. However, the fact that they disappeared, and not long after that, these creatures showed up, plus the fact that Chocolat **had** mentioned something about crystals before they disappeared, was far too close for it to just be a coincidence.

However, before they could ponder it further, a voice interrupted them.

"Your right about it being related, Beluga."

The group turned towards the source of the voice, only to find the same five people that had appeared in Pharaoh.

"How did you get in here?" Merveille asked in surprise. Surely if the guards would have seen them when they came in.

"Teleportation," the red one answered simply.

"Okay, but who are you?" Chocolat asked, while also hoping that maybe they could tell her about what happened to Red and Elh

"You don't recognize me?" the red figure said, sounding surprised, before playfully adding, "I'm hurt. To think you wouldn't recognize me after all these years since the orphanage."

"Orphanage?" Chocolat asked, before it hit her. "Wait, are you?" she was about to ask.

"You got it. Power Down!" the red figure said, before the five of them pressed a button on the device that was on their left wrists, causing their suits to disappear. When everyone in the room could see just who the figures were, their jaws hit the floor.

"Surprise," Red grinned, as he and his new team shared a small laugh at the collective jaw drop.

-PRCF-

(Ending theme: "Mirai Iro" by Plastic Trees. OST Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

_*music*_

As the music starts, we see shots of Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru (in this order), before the scene changes to show silhouettes of the five of them in Ranger form, with the shadow of the Gattai in the background.

_Hatenaki Sekai naraba kono Mune ni wa Akashi o_

We see a scene zooming out, revealing Red holding the Courage Sword, pointing it at the screen. He has his usual cocky expression on his face. Along his arm, a faded picture of Crystal Dragon is seen.

_Onaji Namidanuretara Bokura Waraiaou_

The scene then changes to another zoom out scene, with this one showing Elh with her back turned, as though walking away. On her skirt, a faded picture of Crystal Eagle is seen.

_Toki Hanattetta Genjitsu de kizamu Kodou ni Fureezu o_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Waffle who is seemingly doing a backward flip with a grin on his face, while pointing his Light Bow at the screen. On his leg, a faded picture of Crystal Wolf is seen.

_Kyoumei shiteku Kokoro ni Oto o tatete Saku Namae no nai Hana_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Alicia, who is seemingly doing a cart wheel, while pointing her Dark Whip at the screen, as though lashing out with it. On her pants, a faded picture of Crystal Lioness is seen.

_Osoroi no Ibasho Bokura Mitsukeru_

Another zoom out scene is shown, with this one showing Mamoru, who looks like he is about to leap out of the screen. On his uniform, a faded picture of Crystal Rhino is seen.

_Yume miruyou ni Mezamete Mirai madette Nobashita Te _

The scene changes to show Alicia who is holding her hand up, as though she is falling. Around her, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Stare (with her usual calm appearance), Flare (with her usual cheerful expression), Panta (looking determined as always), Princess Terria (with a gentle smile on her face), Cyan (with his usual confident smile), and Fool (looking like he is planning something). Most noticeable of all is a silver colored crystal with a faded picture of Beluga (with a stoic look on his face).

_Tsukamu hanasu Kurikaeshi Sagashite_

The scene slowly shifts up to show Waffle who is holding out his hand, as though trying to catch Alicia before she falls. Around him, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Opera (in her usual pose with her fan), Gren (dutifully standing with his arms crossed), Calua (with his usual big grin on his face), Merveille (smiling slightly), Chocolat (with her usual cheerful appearance), and Bruno (laughing insanely). Most noticeable of all is a gold colored crystal with a faded picture of Zero with his mask on.

_Omoi tsuiteku Iro de Kurayami datte nurikaenagara_

The five Infinity Crystals are seen circling each other, before a hand reaches out for them, causing them to scatter

_Kioku KIZUNA Kibou to Kasanetara_

The scene zooms out to reveal two figures standing in a forest bathed with golden light.

_Mirai Iro zutto Bokura wa egaiteku_

The two figures reveal to be Red and Elh, as both stand side by side, watching the source of the golden light with their hands intertwined. The scene then shifts to reveal the light to be coming from the shining silhouette of an unknown Gattai, as the Infinity Crystals are seen revolving around it.

Author's Note:

Done. For anyone who has read this fic, I've decided to re-do it into a Sentai fic rather than a Power Ranger fic.


	3. First Steps

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Zero, the infinity crystals, the Crystal Animals, and the monsters.

A/N: I might refer to the team as either "Sentai", "Super Sentai", "Crystalrangers", or even just "Rangers".

(Opening theme: "Colors" by FLOW. OST Code Geass)

_*music*_

As the music starts, several flashes of light begin collecting into a ball, before flashes of red, blue, yellow, white, and black begin coming out of the ball, followed by pulsing waves and more flashes. Finally scene changes to show quick pictures of Red, Elh, Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia (in this order).

_Jibun wo sekai sae mo kaete shimaesou na Shunkan ha itsumo sugu soba ni..._

A ball of light breaks apart to reveal the five Infinity Crystal, which dance around the screen before splitting up into three directions. Scene then changes to show images of Shephered Republic, Prairie Kingdom, and Nippon (in this order).

_Kakusenu iradachi to_

The scene shows Red and Elh standing back to back (background: night sky, presumably on top of The Asmodeus), looking up at the sky, before the silhouette of Crystal Red and Crystal Blue appear next to them in the same position.

_tachitsukusu jibun wo _

The scene changes to show Waffle and Alicia holding hands as they stand side by side a top Resaca Tower, looking down at the scenery (background: morning, specifically sunrise), before the silhouettes of Crystal White and Crystal Black appear behind them.

_mitsume _

Scene changes to show a quick shot of Mamoru with the Crystal Yellow by his side (both of them mirror each other).

_Mayoinagara _

The scene shows Chocolat, Panta, Stare, and Flare standing on top The Asmodeus.

_nayaminagara _

The scene shows Princess Terria, Cyan, Chamberlain, Hound III, and Russel Ryebread standing in Prairie Castle (specifically the Throne Room).

_kuyaminagara _

The scene shows Merveille, Beluga, Opera, Gren, and Calua standing in The Golden Roar.

_kimereba ii sa _

Scene changes to show a flock of birds flying above the many floating continents.

_Kimi ga kureta kotoba hitotsu_ _tomadoi ha kiesari_

The scene shows a group shot of Red, Chocolat, Elh and the entire Kurvaz guild in Pharaoh. Then the scene changes to show a group shot of Mamoru, his father, and several rescue workers in Nippon. The scene changes again to show a group shot of Waffle and Alicia with the Prairie Police, the Prairie knights, and the rest of the black cats gang, along with Princess Terria in Porto. Finally the scene changes to show Zero standing alone in a meadow, before the meadow changes into the remains of a battle field.

_Karappo datta boku no heya ni hikari ga sashita _

The Infinity Crystals shine as the Rangers raise their weapons and release a bright light, which travels into the sky.

_Miageta oozora ga aoku sumikitte yuku _

The Crystal Animals are seen emerging from a portal in the sky, before performing their Crystal Gattai.

_Tozashita mado wo hiraku koto wo kimeta _

The Rangers are seen combining their weapons into the Crystal Blaster, before firing at the screen.

_Jibun wo sekai sae mo kaete shimaesou na _

The Gattai is seen fighting with it's saber against an unseen enemy.

_Shunkan wo kanjiru ima koko ni..._

The Gattai is seen charging up for its finisher, before bringing the saber down, causing a bright flash of light. The light then changes into the title.

(Opening song finish)

-PRCF-

Episode 2: First Steps. Enemy's Identity.

During the last 300 years, Beluga had seen a lot of strange things in his life as a Paladin. So much so, that hardly anything fazed him. Monsters that looked like they were made out of crystal? He could live with that. Heroes in odd suits that could destroy those monsters? Perfectly acceptable. Those heroes turning out to be Red, Elh, and several other people that he knew? Okay, this is where he drew the line.

"Surprise," Red said with a big grin, as he watched the jaws of his sister, and all Kurvaz members watching (figuratively) hit the ground.

"Red? Elh? What happened to you two? What happened to Mamoru and Waffle? And why is Alicia here?" Chocolat asked, though the last one was asked with a slight sweat drop.

"Well, I guess you can blame these things for what happened to us," Elh said, as the five of them opened their right palms, and willed their respective crystals to appear in their hand.

"Fascinating. What are these crystals?" Merveille said, as she took a closer look at the crystals. All five of them were small, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, and were shaped like standard crystals, with the only noticeable difference being their odd coloration.

"Well… Zero called them The Infinity Crystals," Mamoru said, as his crystal disappeared back into his hand.

"Zero?" was the general question from the Kurvaz.

"That would be me…" came the answer from right behind them.

"Gaah!" most of the people in the room (except Merveille and Beluga), including the Sentai, cried out in surprise. They quickly turned around and were met face to face with Zero's faceless mask.

"Don't do that!" Alicia yelled, not liking how Zero surprised them like that.

"Zero, I presume?" Merveille asked, keeping her composure.

"You presume correctly," Zero stated with his usual monotone voice.

"So you're the one who gave them this new power?" Beluga asked, whilst fingering the pistols on his waist. Something about Zero just irked him. For some reason, he almost felt that Zero being there was wrong, though he couldn't explain why.

"No. While I was the one who gave them the means of gaining their Henshin Devices, the source of their new power, The Infinity Crystals, chose them as their wielders.

"Chose?" Merveille asked, as she was getting more and more intrigued.

"Correct. This power doesn't work for just anyone. You don't choose it, but rather it chooses you," Zero stated with a nod.

"You say that, but why did you give it to them in the first place?" Beluga asked with a frown.

"Very well. Allow me to explain from the very beginning," Zero said, as he began to explain what he knew about the Infinity Crystals, the Demon Heart, and anything else concerning the current situation.

"So this Demon Heart is the sealed form of an ancient evil, and these Infinity Crystals are our only chance at defeating it?" Merveille asked.

"Correct. However, right now we can't seal it yet," Zero stated.

"Why not? Surely the feisty pup and his friends can stop it," Opera said.

"Three reasons: 1. we don't know **where** the Demon Heart is. 2. They still need to learn how to master their new powers. And 3. There are seven Infinity Crystals, therefore we need seven chosen ones, and right now, we only have five of both," Zero stated with a sigh.

"So what now?" Waffle asked.

"First of all, you five need to learn how to work as a team. While I have to admit, you five worked well together against that Shard Beast, you have to be able to do that all the time," Zero stated.

"Shard Beast?" Mamoru asked.

"The creature leading the Frags. I don't know much about them, but I according to the legend, they were created by the Demon Heart when it fused shards of itself, known as Core Shards into various things, be it plant, animal, object, or even a person," Zero answered.

"Wait, it can turn people into monsters like that?" Red exclaimed when he heard that.

"Yes, but according to the legends they usually either have to have weak wills, or are tricked into doing so. Even then, the legends don't depict them as being very strong. According to the legends, the only way that a Shard Beast created from a person can become truly strong, strong enough to be considered a General class, is if the person willingly accepts the Core Shard, and by willingly I mean they knew exactly what they were getting into, no tricks, no strings attached, full memories, basically they made the choice to join knowing exactly what they were getting into," Zero explained.

"But that still means we have to fight and possibly kill innocent lives," Elh said, not liking where this was going.

"Yeah! We're supposed to save people, not kill them!" Alicia agreed. She may have been a pirate, but even then she did not like the idea of taking lives.

Zero just sighed at that. "While I commend the fact that you want to keep casualties to the minimum, we can't possibly save everyone. One way or another, there will be casualties. However, luckily for you, upon defeat Shard Beasts will revert into what they originally were before they were transformed, so even if you killed one made from a person, that person would be restored with no injuries whatsoever. If you recall, the Shard Beast you just defeated reverted into an ant upon its defeat. The only exception to that is if we are dealing with one made from a person who willingly accepted the shard, and personally, I think those ones deserve what's coming to them for betraying all of us to the Demon Heart," he stated, his voice becoming colder when he stated the last part.

Everyone listening was taken aback by the statement. As Hunters, fighting and occasionally killing were unavoidable at times, but it was never something any of them enjoyed or even wanted to do. However, Zero seemed so blunt about the notion of killing that it was as though he had killed on a regular basis.

Sensing what they were probably thinking, Zero simply stated, "I was a soldier at one point. Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of peace, so yes; I have and can take lives. Despite the fact that I do not relish in the act of taking lives, nevertheless I've already lost count of how many I've taken in the past," he stated, as he clenched his hands, as though remembering a rather bitter memory, before shaking his head.

"Either way, first things first, you five should start training. After the five of you learn to get used to working together, we'd better start dealing with your friends and family," he continued.

"Why is that? I mean, you said it was okay for us to reveal ourselves to the Kurvaz," Elh asked.

"Alright. Normally Sentai teams do not reveal their identity to anyone (not even family) other than teammates, as they are usually from the same city, or area. However, due to the fact that this time your team members are from different countries, it would be next to impossible to avoid suspicion. Hence why I allowed you to reveal yourselves to the Kurvaz, though I'll have to request that this secret remain only with the people in this room. Plus, it would be in our favor to have the support of the largest hunter guild in Shepherd," Zero explained.

"A logical reason," Merveille nodded at hearing his explanation.

"Either way, for now you five just start training. We can worry about going to Nippon and Prairie later. As for me, I have a few things I need to take care of," Zero continued, before pulling out six cellphone like devices (each device was color coded accordingly for each ranger, with the sixth on being a dull gray) and handing five of them to the five rangers. "Use these to communicate with each other, and if needs be, to communicate with me. I'll contact you via these later when I've finished preparing," Zero quickly stated, before giving the last one to Merveille. "I've heard that you're quite good with machinery. Feel free to study that to your heart's content," he stated as he walked away. The others were about to go after him, but when they turned a corner, he wasn't there anymore.

"Okay… How does he do that?" Red asked to no one in particular.

"Either way, I think we should follow his advice," Waffle said, earning a nod of agreement from the rest of them.

"Alright then, if you'd like you can use my newest enhancement for the simulator," Merveille suggested.

"The simulator?" was the general question from the rangers.

"Yes. I've recently made some improvements, which will allow up to ten people to use the simulator, and they will still retain their memories of their time in the simulator," Merveille explained.

"Sounds good. Thanks, Merveille," Red said, as the five of them followed her to her lab.

-PRCF-

_Unknown location, the next day…_

"Hmmm. It seems your plan was met with some problems. In fact, I'd say it was a complete failure," came a rather sly voice.

"Tough talk from someone who hasn't even made his move. In fact, we might have had better results if you had just worked your magic on that Shard Beast. Then again, what should I expect from you. You're a fool, just like your name, Fool," another voice shot back in annoyance.

The owner of the first voice stepped forward, revealing himself to be a Felineko with purple fur in a purple tuxedo and top hat. "Now-now, there's no need to hurry. After all, all we need to do is harvest the fear to feed the Demon Heart. Besides, you have more at stake here. After all, I'm still alive. You on the other hand, are merely being sustained by that Core Shard of yours. Am I wrong, Bruno?" Fool calmly replied.

The owner of the other voice stepped forward, revealing himself to be an old Caninu with gray fur, a long moustache and beard, wearing a long cloak, with a hat that bore the emblem of The Kurvaz. "Hmph. Don't forget, you also willingly accepted the Core Shard, meaning if The Demon Heart goes, we both go with it," Bruno replied, not liking his colleague's attitude.

"Keep your tail on. I have a plan to harvest some fear," Fool waved dismissively, as he fished out another Core Shard from his suit, before he brought up a viewing globe, before shifting it to a view of Spinon and zooming in on the sewers, specifically on one of the Scatter mice that inhabited the sewers.

"Yes, this one will do nicely," he said, as he tossed the shard into the globe. The shard was immediately transported to that location, before entering one of the Scatter mice. The creature glowed, before it was teleported back to where Fool and Bruno were waiting. The moment it appeared, it immediately started to mutate into a Shard Beast.

The creature that stood where the mouse had been looked like a somewhat humanoid mouse. It was rather chubby and round, with sickle like blades in both hands, while another pair grew out of its back. The skin was a purplish shade of blue, with the head still retaining the appearance of a scatter mouse, with the only differences being the eyes that looked like they were covered in some kind of pitch black visor, and its mouth that seemed to have gained a mouth plate, concealing the maw of razor sharp teeth. "I am Ravagerodent. How may I be of service?" The Shard Beast, now named Ravagerodent, asked.

"Excellent," Fool commented, before the viewing globe changed into a view of Prairie, specifically a view of Resaca. "Take as many Frags as you need, and demolish Resaca Harbor. No need for an all-out attack. In fact, I recommend periodic attacks to stir up the people," Fool ordered.

"At once," Ravagerodent stated, before disappearing in a flash of light.

-PRCF-

_Resaca Harbor…_

It was another normal day at Resaca, as the many Caninu and Felineko inhabitants were busy going about their usual business. Too bad the normal part was about to come to an end.

Princess Terria had decided that she would like a change of scenery from the castle, so right now; she was wearing a disguise to avoid any unnecessary attention, while touring Resaca. With her, also in disguise, was her caretaker, the Chamberlain, along with her personal bodyguard, Cyan Garland.

"Resaca certainly is lively today," Terria said with a smile.

"Yes, things have certainly been peaceful for a while now," Chamberlain nodded.

"Hmph. At least until **someone **starts causing trouble again," Cyan muttered, referring to The Black Cats Gang. During one of their earlier schemes, Cyan had tried to stop them, but unfortunately he had ended up walking, or rather, charging right into an obvious trap and quite thoroughly humiliated, and well… his pride hasn't quite gotten over that.

"Now-now Cyan," Terria started, hoping to calm down her body guard. "That was six months ago, and the Priss sisters haven't done anything wrong or caused any trouble since," she said calmly, as she smiled gently. While it was rarely noticeable, she did indeed appreciate Cyan's efforts to protect her. While she also did admire a certain police officer, doesn't mean that she didn't care about her bodyguard.

"True. Perhaps it will stay that way," Cyan said, melting under Terria's smile. While he never said it out-loud, anyone who paid attention would have seen that Cyan was head over heels in love with the princess. Too bad he didn't have the guts to tell her out right.

The three of them continued touring the town for a while, until they noticed a certain trio up ahead.

"Hm? Isn't that Panta?" Terria asked when she noticed the young Caninu.

"Why yes it is," Chamberlain confirmed.

"But why is he with two of the Priss sisters?" Cyan said, scowling slightly.

"It seems they are discussing something. Maybe if we listen we'll find out something," Terria said, as they listened closely.

-PRCF-

"I wonder where big sister and big brother went to," Flare said.

"I don't know, but I thought they were only planning to be in Grimto," Stare answered.

"But we checked Grimto, and they weren't there," Panta answered. Earlier, he had gotten a call from the chief, telling him that Waffle was absent. After that, he had immediately contacted Stare and Flare, who told him that Alicia was missing as well. The three of them had immediately gone to Grimto, since that was the last place that Waffle and Alicia had been. When they got to Grimto, they found both Waffle's airship and Alicia's balloon, but neither hide nor hair of either of them. It was at this point that the three of them had started searching for them, but up till now, they had been unsuccessful, so here they were in Resaca, hoping that they would find something.

"We've checked around town, so how about we check Resaca Tower," Stare suggested.

"Okay, let's try that," Panta agreed, as they set out for their destination.

-PRCF-

"Waffle and Alicia are missing?" Terria asked, surprised as well as worried about what she heard.

"That is indeed strange, but why would Waffle be with Alicia?" Chamberlain said.

"Don't forget, they are childhood friends, so I'm not surprised that Waffle would be with her. He does still consider her a friend," Cyan said.

Any further discussion was interrupted when the attention of all six of them heard a sudden scream.

"Gyaaaah!" someone screamed.

"What was that?" Stare said in surprise.

"I don't know, but we better check it out," Panta said, as the three of them ran toward the source of the scream.

At the same time, Cyan had dashed off towards where he had stashed his Knight Robo, while at the same time telling Chamberlain to keep Terria safe while he checked out the source of the scream, though it wasn't long before Terria had decided to check the source of the scream as well, despite Chamberlain's best attempts to stop her.

Panta, Stare, and Flare had arrived at the scene, and when they came to the source of the scream, they saw a demolished warehouse. Suddenly, another building promptly collapsed, followed by another and another. It was after the third time that the town was pretty much set into a panic. What nobody had realized was that the whole time, a certain Shard Beast was watching in amusement.

"_That's right, be scared, be confused, panic, be afraid, and let those feelings feed my master,_" Ravagerodent thought, as he continued to slice away at the foundations of several buildings, preparing them to collapse at the slightest disturbance. He would have kept on with his little plan, but in his enjoyment, he ended up letting someone spot him.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Panta demanded when he caught sight of the Shard Beast slicing through another foundation.

"_Tch. So much for being undercover. Oh well, this way is always more fun anyway,_" Ravagerodent thought, before saying, "Oh, just destroying this town," he said, before his blades glowed, as he swung his blade, firing off spinning blades towards Panta.

"Waugh!" Panta cried as he narrowly dodged being sliced in half, before running as Ravagerodent started launching several more spinning blades at him.

"Hey, cut that out you big bully!" Flare called out, before throwing a bomb at Ravagerodent. She had intended to stop him using the explosion, but the Shard Beast proved to be faster than his bulky body let on, as he cleanly sliced off the fuse, rendering the bomb harmless, before countering with more spinning blades.

"Gah!" Flare cried out, as Stare had quickly dived towards her, allowing them to narrowly avoid the blade (How narrow? I'd say about a couple more millimeters and someone would have lost a limb).

All the while, Resaca had gone from a mild panic to complete chaos as the police officer and two pirates futilely tried to stop the rampaging Shard Beast. All around, people had been running, jumping, and ducking in order to avoid any stray blades (one old Felineko had even ended up doing an impressive limbo maneuver to avoid one of the blades, which ended up slicing a street lamp in half).

"Hold it right there you fiend!" came a familiar voice, catching the attention of Ravagerodent, Panta, Stare, Flare, and anyone who hadn't already ran off. They turned toward the source, to see Cyan in his Knight Robo, with its sword ready. "Don't worry, I'll handle this. You three focus on getting any civilians to safety," Cyan said to the three of them, as he ran towards the Shard Beast, ready to defeat it. Too bad that by the time anyone saw the outcome, they would already be praying for someone who could defeat the monster. They were about to get their wish.

-PRCF-

_The Wanderer, Bridge…_

Zero was in the middle of the final preparations for activating the D-Gate he had on board.

"Right. Now to finalize the system, let it reboot, then I can insert the program and the regulator into the D-Gate. I'd better get the Cycles ready as well for the Crystalrangers…" Zero muttered, as he busied himself with various preparations to help the Rangers in the coming battles.

It was then that the alarm went off. "Another attack already?" He asked to no one in particular, as he quickly started typing on the console, bringing up a screen, which showed a view of Prairie, before zooming in on Resaca and showing what was happening. "Another Shard Beast, and its attacking Prairie this time," he mused, before contacting the team.

-PRCF-

_Golden Roar, Office_

The five Crystalrangers had met up at the office, along with Merveille, Chocolat, and Beluga.

"I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I could take on that Demon Heart right now," Red said with a grin. During the previous day, the five of them had spent several hours on the simulator, working together and getting used to being a team and it was sufficient to say, that it had worked out quite well. Not only had they gotten the hang of their basic powers, and learned how to work as a team, but they also found an alternative way to use their weapons together, aside from the Crystal Blaster. Aside from that, they had also spent the day getting to know each other better, and telling each other about what they had been doing for the last year. Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru were particularly surprised to learn that Red and Elh had found out about the origins of their entire planet, and that their mysterious benefactor, Zero, was actually of the same race as their ancestors. Likewise, the three of them had some stories to tell as well. The funniest reaction was when Red, Chocolat, and Elh were told that Waffle and Alicia were in a relationship with each other, though remembering how Alicia staged a fake kidnapping just so that Waffle could save her (which ended up with Red saving her instead), it wasn't all that surprising.

"Well, we did learn how to work together, but we shouldn't get over confident," Elh said.

"Over confidence aside, we should also start worrying about our friends and family," Waffle said. During the previous night, he, Alicia, and Mamoru had been allowed to use three of the empty rooms in the Golden Roar. While that solved the problem of where they were going to stay, that still didn't solve the problem of their friends and family. By now, Panta and the rest of the police department would have noticed him missing. Stare and Flare would probably be worried about Alicia by now. So would Mamoru's parents.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad must be worried sick by now," Mamoru said, frowning slightly.

"Stare and Flare must be looking all over for me by now, but I get why Zero wants us to train ourselves first," Alicia nodded.

"True. Since the five of you are no doubt the greatest threat to the Demon Heart's plan, it would be best if you at least learned to control your powers first, as it will no doubt try to eliminate the five of you. Also, your friends and family could become prime targets to get to the five of you," Beluga nodded.

"We can't really do much about that, huh?" Chocolat said with a frown, knowing full well that they themselves (herself, and the Kurvaz) too could wind up with a 'bulls-eye' on their backs.

"True. All you can do now is prepare for it," Merveille said.

"Yeah, you're right," Red nodded. "By the way, has anyone heard from Zero? He hasn't contacted us since yesterday."

As if to answer his question, their communicator immediately started ringing.

"Well speak of the devil," Alicia said, as they flipped the communicators open.

"What is it, Zero?" Waffle asked.

"Rangers, the Demon Heart has launched another attack. This time it has targeted the area known as Resaca," Zero told them.

"Resaca? You mean the attack is in Prairie?" Alicia asked, her eyes widening.

"Correct. You can get there faster by teleporting in your Ranger form. I'll monitor your progress from up here. Good luck, Rangers," Zero said, as he terminated the transmission.

The five rangers looked at each other, before nodding. The five of them quickly held out their left arms, before quickly pulling them back, whilst twisting their elbows so that their lower arms were held vertically in front of them, triggering their Crystal Braces to appear.

"Ready?" Red asked.

"Ready!" the rest of them responded.

"Crystal Access!" the called out, as behind them, Merveille, Chocolat, and Beluga marveled at seeing the transformation process for the first time.

(Insert henshin sequence)

Each of them was encased in a larger version of their respective Infinity Crystal, before the crystals broke apart to reveal each of them in matching uniforms that were colored red (Red), blue (Elh), yellow (Mamoru), white (Waffle), and black (Alicia) respectively (in Mamoru's case, he had actually gone through a growth spurt, resulting in him becoming only slightly shorter than Red). The suits they were wearing looked like basic ranger suits, with an emblem that looked like a seven pointed star, with each point being a different color (clockwise from the top: red, blue, yellow, white, black, silver, and gold) on their chest. Gold lines ran down their shoulders, and around their collars. On their arms and legs, they wore white gloves and boots with silver lines around the wrist and ankles. The finishing touch was their helmets that appeared on their heads. Each helmet was shaped accordingly to their species, with a black visor over their eyes, with the boys getting dog themed helmets, and the girls getting cat themed helmets.

(Henshin sequence end)

"Good luck everyone," Merveille said.

"Come back safely," Chocolat added, while Beluga just nodded to them.

"Right," Red said, as the five of them teleported to Resaca.

-PRCF-

Cyan was barely conscious as he was lifted up by the neck of his shirt, while his Knight Robo was now just a pile of scrap metal and wires. Earlier, he had charged right at the Shard Beast, intending to cleave it in half with an impressive overhead strike, but it had merely sidestepped the strike. He then followed up with several sword strikes, yet the beast continued to evade him.

"What's the matter? Too afraid to fight me?" Cyan growled, as this thing had done nothing but evade him.

In response, Ravagerodent simply brought up his sickles and blocked the sword, before kicking Cyan's robot back.

Cyan growled, before charging at the Shard Beast again with another overhead strike. This time, the Shard Beast lashed out with its sickles, and with a quick swipe, cleaved the blade of the sword in half.

Cyan blinked, as he developed a sweat drop at the sight of his now useless sword. Growling again, he discarded the sword, before pulling out a spare sword, and charging in a stab maneuver.

Ravagerodent was not impressed with his persistent opponent. If he could, he would have scowled, as he launched another volley of spinning blades at his oncoming opponent, with all of them hitting the target.

Cyan cried out in pain, as both he and his robot were practically shredded apart by the onslaught. Fortunately, his robot was the one taking most of the attacks, but he still was hit with enough to leave slash marks all over his body. Once the onslaught had finished, his Knight Robo had finally reached its limit, before falling over and coming apart, as Cyan was grabbed by his shirt, before being lifted up.

"Hmph, is that it? Oh well, I guess I'll continue harvesting once I've finished with you," Ravagerodent snorted, before lifting up his sickle, intent on finishing the fight…permanently.

"Leave him alone!" a voice cried, before Ravagerodent felt something hit him from behind, and promptly explode, causing a part of his body to break apart, while at the same time causing him to drop Cyan. Turning around, he was greeted with the sight of Panta, Flare, and Stare, along with Princess Terria, who had actually grabbed a bomb that Flare had been holding on to, before throwing it at the Shard Beast.

"You'll pay for that!" Ravagerodent growled, before firing off another barrage of spinning blades at the four of them.

The four of them gasped, as they closed their eyes, waiting for the inevitable hit. Only thing was, it never came. Instead, they heard what sounded like something cracking, followed by the sound of something shattering with each crack. Daring to open their eyes, they saw that all the blades had been both deflected and destroyed, by what looked like a whip made of black energy.

"Leave my family alone," Alicia growled under her breath, as she jumped down and got between them and the Shard Beast.

"An Infinity Crystal!" Ravagerodent growled, as he felt the energy of an Infinity Crystal coming from Crystal Black. "Don't think you can beat me-argh!" Ravagerodent cried out, as he was hit with a hail storm of white energy arrows, which caused sparks to fly from his body.

"I don't think we can beat you. I know we can beat you," Waffle stated simply, as he and the other three Sentai jumped down, landing next to Alicia.

Ravagerodent knew he was outnumbered, so he decided to even the score. "Tough guys, eh? In that case… Frags!" he roared out, before throwing a small purple marble into the air, before it broke apart into a rain of shards, which turned into a squad of Frags.

"Alright guys, let's show them what we've practiced!" Red said, as the five of them charged at the squad of Frags.

Red pulled out his Courage Sword, before converting it into gun mode, and firing away at a bunch of oncoming Frags, causing the ones in front to shatter, before he switched back into sword mode, and sliced several of them apart. "Woah!" he yelped, as several Frags opened fire on him, but he quickly dodged them, before countering with a shockwave from his sword. "How's that!" Red challenged, as the Frags were all shattered.

Elh was busy sending several Frags flying using a wind spell from her staff. She still marveled at how easily she was doing that, since normally she would have been exhausted by now, yet when she transformed into Crystal Blue, she found herself effortlessly using most of her spell without so much as a tired feeling. "Being a Ranger certainly has its benefits," she mused, as several Frags hit the ground and shattered.

Waffle was dashing around a group of Frags, whilst firing off several arrows. It wasn't long before he noticed several more Frags coming up, obviously planning on surrounding him. "In that case…" he started, before jumping at least 20 feet into the air, and aiming his bow downward. "Spread Shot!" he called out, before firing an arrow, which broke apart into at least 30 smaller arrows. The Frags only managed to look up, before they were caught in a rain of arrows, causing them to shatter as they were pelted by the onslaught. "I could get used to this," he said with a grin, as he landed.

Mamoru almost felt like yawning. He seemed to have gotten stuck with some rather stupid Frags, as they had continued to try to beat him by firing their energy blasts at him, only to have the energy blast absorbed by his shield. While it was obvious that the attacks were not working, the Frags still stupidly kept on firing. "Sigh. Counter Blast!" he said, sending a wave of collected energy, shattering the Frags that had been attacking him. He was about to lower his shield, but his danger senses kicked in, causing him to quickly raise his shield and block a Frag that had tried to stab him from behind. "Guess I got a good one after all," he mused. "Impulse Counter!" he called out, as the shock from the impact was sent back into the Frag, shattering it.

Alicia was busy lashing out furiously with her whip, which caused it to crack away at a large number of Frags, shattering them instantly. Behind her were Panta, Flare, Terria, and Stare along with an unconscious Cyan who was slung over her shoulder. "Wow, look at her go," Flare said in awe, as she unknowingly watched her sister tear through the Frags with her whip. Unfortunately, when she tried to get a closer look, she ended up a target for a certain Shard Beast who had been watching the fight.

Ravagerodent growled at seeing his reinforcements being torn apart by the rangers. It was then that he noticed Flare who was trying to get a closer look. He got an evil thought, as he curled up, before transforming his body into a ball, with several blades sticking out, and started rolling right at the young Felineko.

Alicia had just finished shattering the last of the Frags, when she noticed the Shard Beast rolling right for her sister, causing her eyes to widen beneath her helmet. "Flare! Look out!" she cried, before quickly diving to push her sister out of the way, causing herself to end up as the new target. She cried out in pain as Ravagerodent collided with her, causing sparks to fly from her suit. "That was a cheap trick," Alicia growled, noticing that the Shard Beast was headed right for her again. Not intending to let Ravagerodent get another hit, she lashed out with her whip, which wrapped around the Shard Beast, before she started slamming him repeatedly on the ground, leaving a deep impression on the street.

"Alicia, are you alright?" Waffle asked as he quickly ran toward his girlfriend, concern evident in his voice.

"Don't worry, I'm ok. The suit blocked most of that attack," Alicia said with a small smile.

"_Alicia?_" Flare thought, upon hearing Crystal White call Crystal Black by her sister's name.

Alright guys, let's finish this!" Red called out, as the five Crystalrangers stood in front of the Shard Beast, who was painfully trying to pick himself off the street.

"Right!" was the unanimous reply, as they pulled out their weapons, before putting them together.

The Light Bow was attached on top of the Courage Sword's barrel, followed by the Wisdom Staff, which was split into two halves, before being attached to the two edges of The Light Bow. Following this, the Hope Shield was attached on top of the Light Bow, locking it into place. The finishing touch was the Dark Whip, which was placed under the Courage Sword's barrel.

"Crystal Blaster!" The Rangers called out, as they aimed the composite weapon at Ravagerodent. "Prism Wave!" they called out, as Red pulled the trigger, with the weapon once again glowing in a rainbow of colors, before firing the multi colored beam at the Shard Beast.

Ravagerodent cried out in pain as he was struck by the powerful blast. He managed to stagger for a bit, before his body crystalized and exploded into hundreds of tiny shards. This wasn't the end however. Before the team could celebrate, a black cane with a dark purple crystal, which looked a lot like a larger and darker version of Alicia's crystal pendant, on top came flying down, before landing right where Ravagerodent had been.

Everyone watching looked up to where the cane had come from. What greeted their eyes was for some, an all too familiar Felineko.

"Fool?" Waffle and Alicia exclaimed, recognizing the same weapon dealer that had tried to take over Prairie.

"Ah, so my reputation precedes me. I'm flattered that the people who have caused so much trouble for our plans would know who I am," he chuckled.

"Careful Rangers, he isn't the same as he once was," came Zero's voice over the built in intercoms of their helmets.

"Why's that?" Alicia asked. She was ready to smash Fool to the ground for using her like he did a few years ago.

"Because he's giving off the same signals as a Shard Beast, only stronger. There's no doubt about it, he willingly accepted one of the Demon Heart's shards, making him a General class Shard Beast," Zero answered, causing the Crystalrangers' eyes to widen behind their helmets.

"Well – well, it seems that you've managed to beat my Shard Beast. I guess I'll have to deal with you myself," Fool said, as he placed his hand into his vest, readying himself. Likewise, the Rangers tensed, ready for a fight.

"On second thought, I'll leave this to my Shard Beast," Fool said.

If the situation hadn't been so serious, the Rangers would have face faulted, but kept control nevertheless.

Fool lifted his right arm, causing his fist to pulse with purple energy. "Ancient darkness, evil light, bestow this beast with strength and might!" Fool chanted, as his fist became covered with purple lightning. "Core Resurrection!" he called out, as he hurled a bolt of purple lightning at his cane.

The lightning made contact with the cane, causing the cane to spark with energy, which was transferred to the remains of the Shard Beast. The remains of Ravagerodent began pulsing with energy, before the shards suddenly multiplied and flew up into the sky. The millions of shards came together, before they glowed with an eerie light, as they fused together to form a gigantic version of Ravagerodent. "I'm baaaack," Ravagerodent said, as he started stomping around.

"Zero, I think we have a problem," Red said with a sweat drop as the five of them looked up at their new opponent, who looked like he could easily just step on them.

"Let me guess. The Shard Beast you were fighting just grew from person size to building size?" Zero said, not sounding surprised at all.

"Yup."

"Common problem," Zero stated simply.

"Well, if it's a common problem, then tell us how to stop it, before it demolishes the town!" Alicia yelled into her intercom.

"Keep your tail on kitty. Rather than asking me, ask your crystals. According to the legend, the Crystals also had a 'mysterious power' that would summon help during impossible odds," Zero said, while he was still trying to get his hearing back.

The Rangers were confused by what Zero said, but did it none the less. The moment they concentrated on their crystals, they were each shown an image, along with what to do. Nodding to each other, they each summoned their respective weapons, before placing each of them against their respective braces. The crystals on the braces glowed, before the weapons began shining with the same light.

"Jigen Shokan! Crystal Animals!" they called out, thrusting their weapons toward the sky, causing each weapon to fire off a beam, which flew to the sky. Immediately, five portals appeared in the sky, with three of them close to the ground. What emerged from them caused anyone watching to stare. Out of the portals came 5 giant robots, each themed after animals. The first Crystal Animal looked like a dragon, specifically a western dragon. Crystal Dragon was mostly colored in a blazing shade of red, with a few white parts around the upper body, and claws, completed with wings that were colored a bright yellow color. The second Crystal Animal looked like an eagle. Crystal Eagle was colored a deep blue, with a few yellow parts around the tail and under the wings. The third Crystal Animal looked like a rhinoceros. Crystal Rhino was an almost golden shade of yellow in color, with a few black lines running along the sides (yellow version of GaoRhino from Gaoranger). The fourth Crystal Animal to emerge looked like a wolf. Crystal Wolf was almost pure white in color, with a few grayish areas near the muzzle. The fifth Crystal Animal looked like a lioness. Crystal Lioness was almost pure black in color, save for a few streaks of gold along the neck area.

"Alright everyone, let's do this!" Red said, as the five of them jumped up, before each of them were seemingly absorbed into the heads of each of their respective Crystal Animals (like in Abarenger). Each of them found themselves in a chamber that had the same color scheme of their respective animals, with a console in front of them. Already knowing what to do, each of them place their respective weapons (for Red, Elh, and Alicia, they inserted their weapons) on the console, before placing their hands on the console to control their respective Crystal Animals.

"Alright, let's take him down!" Alicia said, as the five Crystal Animals charged straight for the Shard Beast. Crystal Dragon fired several fireballs from its mouth, which caused sparks to fly as the made contact with Ravagerodent. Crystal Eagle quickly followed, firing what seemed to be feathers made out of energy from its wings, which served to hurt Ravagerodent even further, causing him to cry out in pain. "Had enough?" Red taunted, as the Shard Beast tried to steady itself. "Not even close!" Ravagerodent growled.

Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness stood side by side, before both opened their mouths, and fired two intense beams of white and black energy respectively, with both accompanied by what sounded like a howl and a roar respectively. This time, Ravagerodent was knocked off his feet, as the two beams struck him dead on. However, he didn't get a chance to recover, as Crystal Rhino rammed into him, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Stay down!" Waffle and Alicia called out, as the Shard Beast hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Why you-!" Ravagerodent growled, as he quickly got back on his feet. He then curled up into a ball, before rolling toward the three ground-based Animals, causing sparks to fly when he collided with them.

"Whoah!" Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru cried out, as the chamber they were in shook violently when their Crystal Animals took damage.

"Try some of this!" Ravagerodent added, before firing off a barrage of spinning blades, which struck the two air-based Animals, sending them sprawling to the ground.

"Guwah!" Red and Elh cried out, as their Crystal Animals took the damage, causing sparks to fly from the Crystal Animals, while electricity sparked inside the chambers as though the Crystal Animals had short circuited.

"This guy is tough," Mamoru said, as he steadied Crystal Rhino.

"I'm not sure if we can beat him the way we are," Elh added, as Crystal Eagle took to the sky again.

"Not individually at least," Zero chimed in.

"What do you mean?" Red asked.

"I mean that the strength of a team is in their teamwork. Individually, you don't stand a chance, but together, you can definitely beat him," Zero stated.

"Alright everyone, you heard him. We have to work together for this one," Red said with a nod. It was then that their crystals started glowing.

The Rangers blinked, as their individual crystals were now showing them a new image, and feeding them with more information.

"Did everyone see that too?" Waffle asked.

"I sure did, and I say we should give it a shot," Alicia answered.

"I saw it too," Mamoru said.

"Same here," Elh replied.

"Alright then, let's give it a shot," Red said, as each of them removed their individual weapons from the consoles.

"Crystal Animals! Crystal Gattai!"

In response, the five Crystal Animals immediately took to the sky, before combining.

(Insert gattai sequence)

Crystal Dragon's legs folded together, before the upper body did a 180 degree twist, as the wings folded together to form a sort of chest plate, while the neck, head, and lower body remained the same, followed by the neck pulling back into the torso, leaving only the head, which bent down, completing the head and torso. Following this, Crystal Rhino unfolded to form the legs and waist, with the Rhino's head becoming the right foot, while the left foot had a blunt shaped foot. The legs of the Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness folded into their bodies, before the heads bent downward into a 90 degree position, as their tails folded upward, revealing hands, completing the arms, with the heads of the two Crystal Animals becoming the shoulders. Crystal Eagle straightened out, before all the Crystal Animals came together, with Crystal Eagle's talons locked between the torso and the waist, as Crystal Eagle attached to the back of the torso, and the wings folded in, while the legs and arms were securely locked in place (Wolf used as right arm, and Lioness used as left arm). To finish off, a golden helmet appeared and fitted itself on to Crystal Dragon's head, as the horns grew longer, giving it the appearance of a (literal) Dragon Knight. Inside, the five Rangers now found themselves together in a much larger chamber, with their individual consoles right in front of them. (A/N: Okay, I admit that the Gattai sequence was a cross between Gingaioh and GaoKing (Striker Mode))

(Gattai sequence end)

"Crystal Knight, Shine-On!" the five of them called out, as they re-inserted their weapons on their consoles.

"I'll take you on anytime!" Ravagerodent roared, as he curled up into a ball again, and charged at Crystal Knight. His attack hit the Gattai, but Crystal Knight didn't even flinch.

"Is that all you got? In that case, Mamoru, let him have it!" Red said.

"Right! Rhino strike!" Mamoru responded, as Crystal Knight delivered a strong kick using the Rhino head.

"Gaaah!" Ravagerodent cried out, as he hit the ground, but quickly recovered. "Tough guy, eh?" he growled, before firing off several spinning blades.

Crystal Knight simply began walking toward the Shard Beast, even as sparks flew all around it, but strangely, it seemed that all the blades had either missed, or were not causing much damage.

"Time to end this, everyone!" Red called out.

"Right!" the team replied.

"Crystal Saber!" they called out, as a saber appeared in Crystal Knight's hand. The saber had a pure white blade, with a crimson hand guard which was curved upward, and an azure handle.

Crystal Knight lifted up its saber, as the blade began shining with a multi-colored light (red, blue, yellow, white, and black), as it charged up for its finisher.

Inside the controls, the Rangers had all pulled out their weapons from the consoles. The moment the weapons were removed, they each transformed into a copy of the Crystal Saber. "It's over!" The Rangers called out, as the raised the Sabers in unison. "Crystal Saber! Spectrum Strike!" they called out, as they brought down the sabers in unison. In response to this, Crystal Knight brought down its saber, with the saber's blade seemingly elongating into a massive blade made out of multi-colored light, which was headed right for Ravagerodent.

The blade came down, and struck Ravagerodent down the middle. Sparks flew from his body, as his body was damaged beyond its limit. Sparks continued to fly, as Ravagerodent fell over in defeat, his body crystalizing in the process, before exploding as his now crystalized body shattered. Down below, a few of the shards came together to reveal the Scatter Mouse that was used to create Ravagerodent, before the mouse glowed with a purple glow, as the Core Shard came out and shattered.

Inside the control chamber, the Crystalrangers were cheering for their victory. It wasn't long before the whole town also erupted in cheers at the sight of the victorious heroes.

-PRCF-

_Later, Prairie Castle, Throne Room_

The five Super Sentai (still in Sentai form) entered the throne room, following Princess Terria, Chamberlain, and Cyan. Behind them, Panta, Stare, and Flare followed. Earlier, after the Shard Beast had been destroyed the first people to thank them were Terria, along with Panta, Stare, and Flare. Not long after that, Chamberlain (finally) caught up with Terria, before pleading that she stop being so reckless. Following this, it was explained to the old Caninu about how the five of them had heroically saved the day. It wasn't long before the Crystalrangers were invited to the castle so that they could be properly thanked for their deed. Of course, if it had been just a simple case of saving the day, the Rangers would have declined, but since they, or rather Crystal Black and Crystal White had some business to attend to, so they accepted.

As they entered the room, they could see the king, Hound III, sitting on his throne. Noticing their arrival, the king began to speak, though as always, it was unintelligible, yet somehow they understood what he was saying. "I have been informed that the five of you are the ones who defeated the monster that had been terrorizing Resaca, as well as save my daughter's life. For that, you have my gratitude. May I have the names of the ones I must thank?" he said.

The Rangers were about to answer, when they realized that they really didn't know what to call themselves, other than their real names. Of course, Zero kept on referring to them as 'Rangers', but that was hardly an answer. Fortunately, they were saved the trouble when a familiar voice cut in.

"Crystalrangers," came Zero's voice. At that, everyone turned to the source, to see Zero casually leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest.

"Huh?" was the 'intelligent' response.

"Your team name. Jigen Sentai Crystalranger, or Crystalrangers for short," Zero stated simply.

"Umm… Who are you?" Flare asked curiously.

"Zero," was the reply she got.

"You could say that he's kinda like our equipment guy, since he's the guy who's been providing our gear," Red added.

"That aside, isn't there a more important reason for you five being here, like the issue concerning one Waffle Ryebread, and one Alicia Priss," Zero reminded.

At that, Panta, Stare, and Flare immediately perked up. "You know what happened to big brother and big sister? Come on, tell us," Flare quickly urged, wanting to know what happened.

"Take it easy, Flare. We'll tell you, or rather, we'll show you," Alicia said.

"Show us? Did you have something to do with their disappearance?" Cyan questioned. That statement was making him suspicious about their supposed rescuers.

Waffle sighed, as the Rangers stood side by side, before pressing the button on their Bracers, while saying: "Power down!" causing their suits to disappear, revealing their identities.

Once again, this display was met with jaws hitting the floor, as the people in the room saw the true identities of the Crystalrangers.

"I know it's quite a shock, but we have urgent matters to discuss," Waffle sighed, as the people in the room collected themselves.

"Correct. Now then, I'm afraid that I must inform you all that this world, and all other worlds are in grave danger," Zero stated ominously, as he began to explain the situation (again).

(Scene freezes, as the episode ends)

-PRCF-

(Ending theme: "Mirai Iro" by Plastic Trees. OST Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

_*music*_

As the music starts, we see shots of Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru (in this order), before the scene changes to show silhouettes of the five of them in Sentai form, with the shadow of the Gattai in the background.

_Hatenaki Sekai naraba kono Mune ni wa Akashi o_

We see a scene zooming out, revealing Red holding the Courage Sword, pointing it at the screen. He has his usual cocky expression on his face. Along his arm, a faded picture of Crystal Dragon is seen.

_Onaji Namidanuretara Bokura Waraiaou_

The scene then changes to another zoom out scene, with this one showing Elh with her back turned, as though walking away. On her skirt, a faded picture of Crystal Eagle is seen.

_Toki Hanattetta Genjitsu de kizamu Kodou ni Fureezu o_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Waffle who is seemingly doing a backward flip with a grin on his face, while pointing his Light Bow at the screen. On his leg, a faded picture of Crystal Wolf is seen.

_Kyoumei shiteku Kokoro ni Oto o tatete Saku Namae no nai Hana_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Alicia, who is seemingly doing a cart wheel, while pointing her Dark Whip at the screen, as though lashing out with it. On her pants, a faded picture of Crystal Lioness is seen.

_Osoroi no Ibasho Bokura Mitsukeru_

Another zoom out scene is shown, with this one showing Mamoru, who looks like he is about to leap out of the screen. On his uniform, a faded picture of Crystal Rhino is seen.

_Yume miruyou ni Mezamete Mirai madette Nobashita Te _

The scene changes to show Alicia who is holding her hand up, as though she is falling. Around her, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Stare (with her usual calm appearance), Flare (with her usual cheerful expression), Panta (looking determined as always), Princess Terria (with a gentle smile on her face), Cyan (with his usual confident smile), and Fool (looking like he is planning something). Most noticeable of all is a silver colored crystal with a faded picture of Beluga (with a stoic look on his face).

_Tsukamu hanasu Kurikaeshi Sagashite_

The scene slowly shifts up to show Waffle who is holding out his hand, as though trying to catch Alicia before she falls. Around him, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Opera (in her usual pose with her fan), Gren (dutifully standing with his arms crossed), Calua (with his usual big grin on his face), Merveille (smiling slightly), Chocolat (with her usual cheerful appearance), and Bruno (laughing insanely). Most noticeable of all is a gold colored crystal with a faded picture of Zero with his mask on.

_Omoi tsuiteku Iro de Kurayami datte nurikaenagara_

The five Infinity Crystals are seen circling each other, before a hand reaches out for them, causing them to scatter

_Kioku KIZUNA Kibou to Kasanetara_

The scene zooms out to reveal two figures standing in a forest bathed with golden light.

_Mirai Iro zutto Bokura wa egaiteku_

The two figures reveal to be Red and Elh, as both stand side by side, watching the source of the golden light with their hands intertwined. The scene then shifts to reveal the light to be coming from the shining silhouette of an unknown Gattai, as the Infinity Crystals are seen revolving around it.

Author's Note:

Done. Slight re-write of episode 2.


	4. Trial by Fire

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Zero, the infinity crystals, the Crystal Animals, and the monsters.

A/N: I might refer to the team as either "Sentai", "Super Sentai", "Crystalrangers", or even just "Rangers".

(Opening theme: "Colors" by FLOW. OST Code Geass)

_*music*_

As the music starts, several flashes of light begin collecting into a ball, before flashes of red, blue, yellow, white, and black begin coming out of the ball, followed by pulsing waves and more flashes. Finally scene changes to show quick pictures of Red, Elh, Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia (in this order).

_Jibun wo sekai sae mo kaete shimaesou na Shunkan ha itsumo sugu soba ni..._

A ball of light breaks apart to reveal the five Infinity Crystal, which dance around the screen before splitting up into three directions. Scene then changes to show images of Shephered Republic, Prairie Kingdom, and Nippon (in this order).

_Kakusenu iradachi to_

The scene shows Red and Elh standing back to back (background: night sky, presumably on top of The Asmodeus), looking up at the sky, before the silhouette of Crystal Red and Crystal Blue appear next to them in the same position.

_tachitsukusu jibun wo _

The scene changes to show Waffle and Alicia holding hands as they stand side by side a top Resaca Tower, looking down at the scenery (background: morning, specifically sunrise), before the silhouettes of Crystal White and Crystal Black appear behind them.

_mitsume _

Scene changes to show a quick shot of Mamoru with Crystal Yellow by his side (both of them mirror each other).

_Mayoinagara _

The scene shows Chocolat, Panta, Stare, and Flare standing on top The Asmodeus.

_nayaminagara _

The scene shows Princess Terria, Cyan, Chamberlain, Hound III, and Russel Ryebread standing in Prairie Castle (specifically the Throne Room).

_kuyaminagara _

The scene shows Merveille, Beluga, Opera, Gren, and Calua standing in The Golden Roar.

_kimereba ii sa _

Scene changes to show a flock of birds flying above the many floating continents.

_Kimi ga kureta kotoba hitotsu tomadoi ha kiesari_

The scene shows a group shot of Red, Chocolat, Elh and the entire Kurvaz guild in Pharaoh. Then the scene changes to show a group shot of Mamoru, his father, and several rescue workers in Nippon. The scene changes again to show a group shot of Waffle and Alicia with the Prairie Police, the Prairie knights, and the rest of the black cats gang, along with Princess Terria in Porto. Finally the scene changes to show Zero standing alone in a meadow, before the meadow changes into the remains of a battle field.

_Karappo datta boku no heya ni hikari ga sashita _

The Infinity Crystals shine as the Rangers raise their weapons and release a bright light, which travels into the sky.

_Miageta oozora ga aoku sumikitte yuku _

The Crystal Animals are seen emerging from a portal in the sky, before joining together to form Crystal Knight.

_Tozashita mado wo hiraku koto wo kimeta _

The Rangers are seen combining their weapons into the Crystal Blaster, before firing at the screen.

_Jibun wo sekai sae mo kaete shimaesou na _

Crystal Knight is seen fighting with its Crystal Saber against an unseen enemy.

_Shunkan wo kanjiru ima koko ni..._

Crystal Knight is seen charging up for its finisher, before bringing the saber down, executing the Spectrum Strike, which causes a bright flash of light. The light then changes into the title.

(Opening song finish)

-PRCF-

Episode 3: Trial by Fire

_Shepherd Republic, Airedale_

"Come on guys, let's go!" Mamoru said excitement evident in his voice. Today was the day that he had been waiting for. 3 days ago, they had just saved Resaca from a rampaging Shard Beast. After revealing their identities to several people, including the King and Waffle's boss, they had managed to get the support of both the Prairie Police Force and the King himself, therefore making any future operations in Prairie all the more easier. Now that Waffle's and Alicia's business in Prairie had been dealt with, they had first returned to Shepherd, before planning to go to Nippon. During the time of their preparations, they had been allowed to use the Golden Roar as a base of operation (plus the added security of having a Super Sentai team was definitely welcomed). In response to this, Zero had connected the computer on board the Wanderer to the computer on board the Golden Roar, so that they would have access to the data he had. After 3 days, they had everything in order and were now ready to depart for Nippon.

"Take it easy Mamoru, we all know you want to see your family again," Waffle chuckled slightly, as he, Alicia, Red, and Elh quickly caught up to their youngest member, who was standing not far from Red's ship, the Asmodeus.

"I can't wait to get back to Nippon. Mom, Dad, and Matoi must be worried sick by now," Mamoru nodded.

"Don't forget, this is only temporary. The base has already been established here after all," Zero said, with his usual emotionless tone, as he walked out of the Asmodeus. Earlier, he had installed a few functions into the Golden Roar, namely the D-Gate system that he had been preparing. Figuring that it would be easier for the Rangers to use a smaller ship for quick travel, he had decided to tune up the Asmodeus as well.

"Yeah, I know," Mamoru nodded.

"Good. Now come along. While I've already explained to Chocolat how to work the D-Gate, it would be a good idea for me to still be supervising her for the initial activation," Zero stated, as they entered to ship.

-PRCF-

"This should be far enough," Zero stated. They had left Airedale, and were now flying in the sky. As their identities were to remain secret to the general public, Zero had told Chocolat to fly the Asmodeus a good distance away from any prying eyes, so that they may test out the D-Gate privately.

"O-kay. Let's see if your tune-ups work," Chocolat said cheerfully.

Zero nodded, before he typed on the console, and initiated the D-Gate. A beam of light shot out of the Asmodeus, before a large portal appeared in the sky. The portal was in the shape of a circle, which looked big enough for the Asmodeus to fly through. The inside of the portal was colored in a millennium of colors, which consisted mostly of the colors red, blue, purple, white, green, and orange.

"So far so good," Zero commented, as he kept an eye on the system. The trip was more or less smooth, with only the occasional bumps here and there. The trip, while it felt like a long time, due to the uncertainty of whether or not there would be any complications, in reality it only took about 10 minutes, before the end of the tunnel could be seen. When they got out of the tunnel, they found themselves on the outskirts of Nippon. In fact, they had taken only 10 minutes to travel a distance that should have taken a whole lot longer. (I have no idea how far Nippon is to Shepherd)

"Well, it worked," Mamoru commented, recognizing the area they were in.

"And we're still in one piece, so I guess that means it worked" Red added.

"Not quite. The fact that we had to go through that turbulence means that there are still a few bugs that I need to fix," Zero stated, as they relocated to the hangar. "In the meantime, you five can go to Nippon first."

"Teleportation again?" Elh asked. While they agreed that teleportation was useful, constantly teleporting from one place to the other was really getting old for them.

"Not this time," Zero stated, before pulling out what looked like 5 model motorbikes. "Hold your crystals over these bikes," Zero ordered, which they obeyed. When the energy from the crystals hit the bikes, they immediately grew into 5 full-sized bikes. Each bike had a streamline design, and was identical to one another; save for the colors which easily defined which bike was for whom. "These are your new Dimension Cycles (D-Cycles for short). Aside from being able to reach a top speed of 400 mph, each Cycle is able to convert from a land mode to a sky mode, and is armed with a pair of laser blasters. Also, each Cycle has a built in D-Gate (Though it still needs to be tested, sot that's off limits), and a storage system that can digitize and store various items for convenience," Zero explained, while at the same time demonstrating by storing both Red's Dahak, along with Waffle's Police Robo into their respective bikes.

"Sweet! Let's take these for a spin!" Red said, as the five of them were quick to get on their newest vehicles.

"One more thing, the cycles full abilities can only be accessed when you are in Ranger form, while in your 'civilian' form, you only have access to the storage function and a top speed of 200 mph," Zero added, earning nods from the group.

"Crystal Access!"

The five of them quickly hopped on to their new vehicles. "Chocolat, we're ready, so open the hatch," Red said over the intercom.

"Roger," Chocolat answered, as she opened the hatch. "You five have fun down there."

The five Rangers revved up their Cycles, before shooting out of the hangar.

"Yahooo!" they cried out, as they engaged their flight modes, with Mamoru leading the way to Nippon.

-PRCF-

_Meanwhile, enemy base…_

"Hmph, all that talk, and your plan failed as well," Bruno sneered.

"A minor setback. I didn't expect them to pull out that war machine of theirs," Fool shot back, referring to the Gattai.

"Either way, it doesn't change the fact that we still must harvest the necessary negative energy for our *cough* master," Bruno stated, though he still hated to call the Demon Heart his master.

"Yes, yes, we certainly still have work to do," Fool agreed, before bringing up the viewing globe.

"Now, where to target?" Bruno mused, before the globe zoomed in on Nippon.

"Interesting, I've heard that Nippon is known for their disaster prevention program and their quick reaction to emergencies," Fool mused, unintentionally giving Bruno an idea.

"Is that so? Well then, let's see them prevent the disaster I have in mind," Bruno laughed, before pulling out a Core Shard. The viewing globe then changed to show Basset, before focusing on one of the flamethrowers used in the Metal Crusher Contest. He then threw the shard, which was immediately transported to the location, before embedding itself into the object.

The flamethrower glowed for a moment, before it was transported back to Bruno. Once it reappeared, it began transforming into a Shard Beast. Once the process was done, the Shard Beast that stood in its place was predominantly red, with a few yellow and black parts around its legs and arms. Unlike the last two Shard Beast they had unleashed, this one was completely mechanical, with a blocky body. The head was vaguely humanoid with cold lifeless yellow eyes, much like the eyes of a machine.

"Perfect. Now go Infernatron, and set Nippon ablaze till nothing but ash remains," Bruno ordered.

Infernatron didn't say anything. Instead, it simply nodded, followed by the sound of mechanical beeps and grinding, before it was teleported away, with only its destination and objective in mind. (Note: Machine based Shard Beasts are incapable of speech and do little more than follow orders, while other shard beasts (animal, plant, and person based) are capable of speech and thinking for themselves. Also, while Shard Beasts based on organic creatures have a gender, Machine based Shard Beast are genderless and are merely referred to as an it)

-PRCF-

_Nippon, Park_

It was another peaceful day in Nippon. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, the children were playing in the park, and everyone was in a happy mood.

*sigh*

Well, almost everyone.

Matoi sighed again, as she sat on the swing. Her friends had tried several times to cheer her up, but it didn't work, so now they could only sit by her and watch, trying to give her whatever comfort they could. The reason for her depression was the news that her father had brought home a few days ago. At the time, her father and her brother had been called to deal with a fire that had started. However, when her father came home, he had come home alone. It was then that her father told them the news. Her father explained that initially it had been a routine fire, which they managed to put out without any casualties. However, after the fire, her brother, Mamoru, had disappeared. The last time her father had seen Mamoru, he said that Mamoru had gone to inspect something in the rubble. After that, her father said that there was a blinding light, and by the time the light had subsided, Mamoru was gone.

Thinking about it just made her worry more. It didn't help that her parents had searched and searched, but they had yet to hear anything about Mamoru. "_Brother, please be safe,_" she thought.

Any further thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a sudden explosion. Turning toward the sound, everyone gasped as they saw a large amount of smoke coming from one of the residential districts. In response, Matoi quickly ran toward the source. After all, she was also a rescue worker, just like her father and her brother.

-PRCF-

_A few miles away…_

At the same time, the 5 Crystalrangers had been touring the town, with Mamoru in the lead. "Come on, it's this way," Mamoru said, as he lead his friends down the path that led to his house.

"Take it easy Mamoru. It's not like your house is going to disappear if we don't get there soon," Elh chided, as they followed the young Caninu. However, before anyone could say anything else, they heard the sound of an explosion going off not far from where they were.

"What was that?" Alicia exclaimed in surprise.

"It came from one of the residential districts!" Mamoru exclaimed, recognizing the source of the smoke.

"Come on, we'd better check it out," Red said, earning nods from his team, as the five of them quickly raced to the source of the explosion.

-PRCF-

_Residential Districts…_

The fire blazed brightly as rescue workers were busy trying to put out the fire that had suddenly engulfed several buildings, while rescuing any civilians who were trapped in the buildings or trapped under any rubble.

"Get those stretchers quickly!"

"Put those fires out!"

"Get the drills ready!"

Came the various orders, as rescue workers moved quickly to save as many lives as possible. One of the rescue workers in charge of the rescue operation was none other than Mamoru's father. "Have all the civilians been evacuated?" he asked, as more and more civilians were evacuated. At the same time, Matoi was busy helping with the evacuations, as she and several of the other younger rescue workers searched for any trapped civilians.

The fires were beginning to fizzle out as the rescue workers continued to pelt it with water. However, unknown to them, the cause of the fire did not appreciate their efforts. Within one of the burning buildings, Infernatron watched in annoyance. Not intending to let the rescue workers win, Infernatron pointed its right arm cannon, before firing several fireballs that exploded when they hit the walls of several buildings.

-PRCF-

_Asmodeus, Bridge_

Zero's eyes narrowed behind his mask, when he noticed the quick spike in the sensor he was carrying.

"Is something wrong, Zero?" Chocolat asked, as she and Zero were piloting the Asmodeus toward Nippon.

"Oh, it's nothing," Zero 'smiled' (Chocolat could only guess, as she couldn't see his face), though inwardly, he was scowling. "_The sensor reacted to something. Could another Shard Beast be active?_" he thought, but quickly pushed it to the back of his mind, as he focused on getting to Nippon.

-PRCF-

_Nippon, Residential Districts_

"What in the-?" Mamoru's father exclaimed when he heard the sudden explosions. The flames that were beginning to come under control immediately started blazing with greater intensity as they were given more fuel to burn. Worse, the explosions had further weakened the structural integrity of the buildings, causing them to start falling apart.

-PRCF-

"Another explosion?" Elh exclaimed, as the five of them had arrived at the scene. The sight was to say the least, absolutely chaotic as the buildings were engulfed in a sea of flame, as rescue workers were desperately trying to keep the flames under control.

"Come on! We've gotta help them!" Mamoru called out, as he quickly toward the other rescue workers.

"Right!" the others nodded, as they quickly followed Mamoru, with Red and Waffle quickly pulling out Dahak and Police Robo out of storage.

The five Rangers were approaching the site, when a large amount of flaming debris came down and blocked their path.

"Red!" Mamoru called out.

"Right!" Red nodded, knowing what he needed to do. He tried to grab the debris, but the fires cut him short. "Furballs, the fire's too intense!" Red said, gritting his teeth.

"I'll handle this!" Elh said, as the mark on her forehead appeared, and she began chanting a spell. When the spell finished, a small tornado appeared around the flames, putting out the fire by sucking out all the oxygen.

"Thanks, Elh!" Red said, as he quickly grabbed and removed the debris, clearing the way, and allowing Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia to dart past them.

The three of them didn't waste any time as they quickly began helping evacuating any civilians, while Red and Elh helped put out the fires (Red used Dahak to throw debris, using the dust to put out the fire, while Elh used her spells, though she was careful not to over exert herself).

As the five of them got deeper into the area, Mamoru saw a group of rescue workers. Recognizing his team (rescue workers), he was about to call out to them. However, his attention was diverted when he saw his sister, who while busy helping with any remaining evacuations, didn't notice the chunk of building coming loose over her.

"Matoi! Look out!" Mamoru called out, as he ran toward his sister.

Matoi quickly turned to the source of the all too familiar voice. "Mamoru?" she asked, though before she could even confirm it, she was swept off her feet, as her brother pushed her out of the way, just in time to avoid the falling debris.

"Matoi, are you alright?" Mamoru asked.

Matoi didn't respond. Instead, she hugged her brother, glad to see that he was alright. "Brother, you're okay," she said with relief.

"Right. Sorry if I worried you," Mamoru replied with a smile.

"Mamoru!" came Waffle's voice, catching Mamoru's attention, as the other Rangers ran towards him.

"Hate to break up your family reunion, but we still have this fire to deal with," Alicia said, reminding Mamoru that they did still have a problem to deal with.

"Right!" Mamoru nodded, as the six of them (Rangers plus Matoi) quickly went to join the other rescue workers.

"Mamoru?" Mamoru's father asked in surprise at seeing his missing son suddenly show up.

"I'll explain later. First we need to put out this fire. Guys, can you give us a hand?" Mamoru quickly said.

"You can count on us, Mamoru," Red said with a grin, as he hefted a large piece of debris, while Elh prepared herself for another spell, and Waffle charged up his bubble gun.

"Ready, aim, and fire!" Mamoru called out, as they let loose with their 'attacks' at the largest of the fire. The combined mix of water, dust, and wind managed to put out the large fire, followed by the smaller ones.

Unseen by the group, Infernatron walked away whilst inwardly scowling. While it knew it had a mission, but the fact remained that it was outnumbered and it sensed the energies of several Infinity Crystals nearby, so making a scene was out of the question, lest he draw the attention of whoever was holding the crystals. As such, Infernatron decided a tactical retreat would be the better course of action.

-PRCF-

With the retreat of the Shard Beast, it wasn't long before the fires were put out. Of course, with the fires gone, it left Mamoru with the problem of having to explain to his father, just what he had been doing for the last several days.

"Mamoru, while I'm glad that you are alright, you still have a lot of explaining to do young man," Mamoru's father said with a stern tone, causing Mamoru to gulp.

"It's a long story, but we'll help Mamoru explain, since it involves us too," Waffle said, taking some of the weight off Mamoru.

"Is that so? Well then, I hope you all have a good explanation, but for now, let's go home. My wife has been worried sick since Mamoru disappeared," he replied. "By the way, it's good to see you've all been taking care of yourselves. It's been a long time," he added, earning nods from the four of them.

-PRCF-

_Mamoru's House_

The scene that had happened when the seven of them arrived at Mamoru's home was almost comical. The moment his mother saw him safe and sound, Mamoru was swept in a bear hug, with his mother silently thanking those above that her son was alright. Once the initial feeling was over, Mamoru was hit with another "Where have you been young man" line, as he was practically interrogated.

"Ummm… Mom, we have guests," Matoi said with a sweat drop, as she was starting to feel sorry for her brother.

"Oh? Who might you be?" their mother asked.

"We're Mamoru's friends. I'm Red Savarin," Red answered.

"I'm Elh Melizee. It's nice to meet you," Elh said, introducing herself.

"I'm Waffle Ryebread. I've worked with Mamoru in the past," Waffle said.

"I'm Alicia Priss," Alicia said.

"Oh yes, I remember. Mamoru did tell me about his friends from Shepherd and from Prairie," Mamoru's Mother said, remembering the stories she was told. Any further conversation was halted by the sounds of several stomachs rumbling.

"Ah, good thing I already prepared dinner. Would all of you like to join us?" she offered with a kind smile.

"Yes, we'd appreciate that very much," Elh said, as the four of them went into the dining area.

Before they could start, a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Who could that be?" Mamoru wondered, as he went to answer the door. When he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of Chocolat, who seemed a bit tired out, as though she had been walking for hours.

"Chocolat?" Red asked, before grinning cheekily. "What took you so long?" he joked. Too bad Chocolat was **not** in the mood, evident by her smacking him upside the head.

"Gah! What was that for?" Red demanded.

"Do you have any idea how long it took just to find you guys?" she shot back, sounding very tired.

"Um, we were just about to have dinner. Why don't you join? Is that alright, Mom?" Mamoru said.

"Of course. To be honest, I cooked a bit too much food," she replied, sweat dropping slightly, though she still smiled.

"Okay, thanks," Chocolat said, brightening up at that. "Oh, that's right! Zero, would you… huh?" she said, turning to the door to find that Zero had once again disappeared.

"What is it with that guy and the disappearing acts?" Red asked to no one in particular, though all five Rangers and Chocolat shared the sentiment.

"Well, his loss," Alicia shrugged, as they started to dig in.

-PRCF-

_Meanwhile, enemy base…_

"Burn Nippon to ash. Oh yes, your Shard Beast **really** did a good job," Fool said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Watch your tongue! Infernatron hasn't been defeated yet, since at least **my** Shard Beast has a sense of tactics, unlike your Shard Beasts!" Bruno retorted angrily.

"No tactics, eh? In that case, let's see just how far your plans go **without** me making **your** Shard Beast grow when they lose," Fool shot back as he walked away, knowing he had the advantage in this area. After all, between the two of them he was the only one with the ability to make Shard Beast grow.

"Fine! I'll show you that Infernatron doesn't even need to grow to complete the mission!" Bruno roared, before turning back to the viewing globe to monitor Infernatron's progress.

-PRCF-

Speaking of Infernatron, the Shard Beast in question had been sneaking around Nippon, looking for a suitable place to begin another attack. Walking out of an alleyway, Infernatron spied a warehouse with several barrels outside of it. Noticing one of the barrels was leaking, Infernatron would have grinned if it could, as it recognize the substance as oil. Infernatron then leveled his arm cannons at the barrels, before letting loose several fireballs, which exploded on contact with the barrels.

-PRCF-

_At the same time, Mamoru's House…_

"Thanks for the meal. It was great," Alicia said, as she and her friends were busy helping Mamoru's Mother in cleaning up after dinner.

"It's no problem. In fact, you five are welcome any time," she said with a smile, as they finished putting back the last of the dishes.

With cleaning up finished, Mamoru's father decided to speak up. "Now then, Mamoru, I believe you have some explaining to do," he said.

"Oh, right," Mamoru nodded. "Okay, I think I should start from what happened after I disappeared. You see…" Mamoru was about to explain, when the radio his father carried went off.

"Yes? What? Another fire, this time in warehouse area? I'm on my way!" he said, as he put the radio down. "There's been another fire. Mamoru, you and Matoi stay here. I'll be back soon," he stated, before going out the door.

A few minutes after he left, the Rangers' communicators started ringing.

"What is it Zero?" Mamoru asked, as his mother and sister blinked in surprise at the fact that all five of them were picking up the same call.

"Rangers, the scanners have confirmed that a Shard Beast has gone active," Zero said over the transmission.

"Where is it?" Red asked.

"It's in Nippon, at the warehouse area. If my hunch is correct, then this Shard Beast is the one responsible for the fires earlier," Zero explained.

"That's where my Dad and the other rescue workers are headed. If they fight the Shard Beast, they'll be killed!" Mamoru said in alarm, while his mother and sister gasped when they heard that.

"Mamoru, what's going on?" Matoi asked uncertainly. The way her brother and his friends were acting, it scared her.

"I'll explain later. Right now, I have to help Dad," Mamoru said, as the he and the other Rangers quickly ran out the door.

Once they were out the door, Matoi decided to follow them. She went out, just in time to see them turn into a corner, as she followed them. Peering into the corner, she saw the five of them holding out their left arms.

"Crystal Access!" she heard them call out, as a blinding light ensued.

(Cut straight to the helmets forming on their heads)

When the light subsided, her jaw dropped as she saw the transformation, leaving her utterly stunned.

The five Crystalrangers, not noticing that they were being watched, quickly pulled out their bikes, before riding off toward their destination.

-PRCF-

The scene at the warehouse was absolutely chaotic. The fires were blazing with incredible intensity, as the rescue workers were trying to do their job, which was made considerably harder with the horde of Frags. The foot soldiers in question were getting in the way of the rescue workers, by either adding fuel to the fire, or by throwing the rescue workers around, stopping them from even getting into a good position to TRY to stop the fire. Some of the rescue workers had tried to take on the source of the fire, Infernatron, but had ended up incinerated when they tried to get close to the Shard Beast.

Things looked grim for the rescue workers, until they heard the sound of engines coming. The sound revealed to be 5 motorbikes, which promptly rammed into the Frags, scattering them, and even shattering a few of them. The Frags hissed in anger, only to stop short when they realized who they were dealing with. However, despite recognizing the signatures of the Infinity Crystals, they knew what they were supposed to do, and charged at the five Rangers. The ensuing battle was short, as the Rangers, taking advantage of their advantage (their D-Cycles), hit the Frags with a small barrage of lasers from their bikes, which made short work of the Frags.

"Get everyone to safety! We'll handle this!" Red said to the rescue workers, who were more than happy to oblige, as they could clearly see they were in a losing battle.

The Rangers were about to charge in, when one of the rescue workers stopped them. "Some of our friends, including the chief had gone ahead first. If you see them, please help them. There's no way they can beat that flame monster that started the fire," he said.

"Alright, you can count on us. You just get to safety first," Mamoru nodded.

"Thanks. We owe you one," the rescue worker said, as he and the rest of his group left the scene.

The five Sentai quickly raced through the warehouses, finding several hordes of Frags along the way, whilst saving any rescue workers that they found.

"This is becoming endless," Red said, gritting his teeth as he sliced another Frag in half.

"Tch. We'd better find the Shard Beast fast if we want to end this," Alicia agreed, as she smashed another Frag against the wall.

"On that note, I agree," Zero suddenly chimed in on the coms. "The Shard Beast signal is coming from straight ahead of your current position. However, the scanners are also picking up several civilian signals as well," Zero stated.

"It must be Dad and the others," Mamoru said, as they headed in the direction Zero had pointed out.

"Another thing. This Shard Beast seems to be stronger than the last two. I don't suggest that you tackle it head on," Zero added.

"Then what do you suggest?" Elh asked.

"For starters, disable or at least weaken its fire abilities. A nice bath should do the trick. Also, I recommend staying out of sight as much as possible, as no doubt its attacks can cause a lot of damage if the sheer magnitudes of the fires are any indication. Basically, a straight forward assault probably won't be the best tactic for this round," Zero stated, as he twirled a chess piece in his hand, before placing it on a chess board near him (not that they knew this part).

"But what about the rescue workers? If we take too long for this plan, they'll be in serious trouble," Waffle added.

"I'm not saying to forget about them. I'm just recommending this strategy. Follow it or ignore it is your choice," Zero stated in response, as he turned cut the transmission.

"What should we do?" Mamoru asked uncertainly. While Zero had helped them out a lot, the human still made it really hard for them to trust him with his seemingly cold personality.

"First things first, we'll take care of the rescue workers, then we'll worry about the Shard Beast," Red stated, earning nods from his team.

"Okay then, we should split up into 2 teams. One team will take care of the civilians and keep the Shard Beast preoccupied, while the other will carry out Zero's strategy," Elh suggested.

"Good plan. I'll take care of the civilians," Waffle volunteered.

"I'll help Waffle out. My shield can provide cover," Mamoru volunteered as well.

"I'll go with them too," Alicia volunteered.

"Alright then. Elh and I will carry out the strategy. Once we've weakened that Shard Beast, we'll finish it with the Crystal Blaster," Red said, as he and Elh quickly broke off from the group, just as they arrived at the scene.

The scene they were greeted with was the sight of Infernatron already leveling the barrel of its cannon at several rescue workers, before firing.

"Look out!" Mamoru yelled, as he barely managed to get between the attack and the rescue worker, shielding them with his shield. Unlike the other attacks, while Infernatron's attack was absorbed into the shield, this time the shock from the attack managed to send Mamoru flying back, causing him to painfully land in a bunch of barrels, leaving him dazed.

Infernatron was not pleased with the interference, but decided to shelve the thought for later, as he leveled his arm-cannon at the rescue workers again, only for his arm to get wrapped in a black energy whip.

"Oh no you don't!" Alicia said, as she yanked her whip, pulling Infernatron along and giving Waffle an opening.

"Take this!" Waffle said, as he slashed Infernatron across the chest with the blades on his bow, sending the Shard Beast tumbling.

The two Sentai warriors would have continued their assault, but Infernatron, being the machine it was, immediately leveled its cannons, before firing two fireballs at them. Caught by surprise, the two of them barely managed to dodge the fireballs, but were caught in the ensuing explosion, which sent them flying as sparks flew from their suits.

"Zero was right. This guy's way tougher than the last 2 Shard Beasts," Waffle groaned, as he and Alicia were painfully picking themselves up.

"Yeah. Red and Elh better hurry, or we'll be in big trouble," Alicia groaned, as the two of them steadied themselves, and readied their weapons.

-PRCF-

Speaking of Red and Elh, the two of them had already found a large supply of water, in the form of a disabled sprinkler system, which was conveniently located near where the other Rangers were fighting. "Alright, this'll put out that fire," Red said; as he prepared to bust open the water tank, while Elh began chanting for a wind spell to create a wind funnel to aim the water. However, before they had a chance to put the plan into action, they were interrupted by a squad of Frags that had been prowling the area, which took them by surprise.

Both of them cried out in surprise and pain, when they were hit from behind. "Kuh! We'll have to deal with these guys first," Red growled, as he quickly pulled out his sword, just as he and Elh heard an explosion coming from where their team was.

"Everyone, hold on until we beat these Frags," Elh said, as she and Red charged at the Frags, sparks flying as their weapons met with the Frags.

-PRCF-

Back with Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru, the fight was not going well for them. Infernatron was now bombarding them with exploding fireballs, with the three Rangers having a hard time evading.

"Darn it! Those two better hurry, or this pyromaniac will demolish Nippon!" Alicia yelled, as she and Waffle ducked behind Mamoru who had his shield out.

"How long will your shield hold?" Waffle asked, as the three of them braced themselves as the explosions hit the shield.

"It's not so much my how long my shield will last (I don't think my shield can even break), but rather how long **we **last before the explosions send us flying," Mamoru grimaced, as another explosion hit them.

"Well I'm not going to wait for that! Take this, Dark Whip!" Alicia exclaimed, and before either Waffle or Mamoru could stop her, she charged at Infernatron, taking advantage of a pause in Infernatron's attack and lashed out with her whip. While she did manage to score several hits, Infernatron was quick to recover, before countering with several fireballs. "Gwah!" Alicia cried out in pain, as the blast sent her sprawling to the ground.

"Alicia!" Waffle exclaimed, as he rushed towards her, just in time to smack away another bomb that Infernatron had lobed at her, before countering with the bladed edges of his bow. This time, the attacks managed to give Infernatron a decent amount of damage and leaving a gash on its armor, but the Shard Beast was quick to recover, and hit him with a fireball at point blank, sending him flying through a nearby wall.

"Waffle!" Alicia exclaimed, but she quickly found herself joining him, as she was thrown through the same wall.

"This… is bad," Mamoru sweat dropped, as he realized that right now, he was the only one standing. It was at that moment that he noticed his shield glowing very brightly, before the shield let loose a massive blast of energy, which sent Infernatron flying, causing the Shard Beast to smash through several walls. "Guess my shield was absorbing the energy the whole time," Mamoru sweat dropped at seeing his shield's handiwork.

"Mamoru!" Waffle called out, as he and Alicia stumbled out of the building they had been thrown into. It was obvious that the two of them were pretty banged up, as they were painfully supporting themselves. Luckily, their crystals were already accelerating the healing process on both of them.

"Where's the Shard Beast?" Alicia asked, noticing their absent opponent.

"Um… Blew him away?" Mamoru said in reply, just as another explosion went off, revealing Infernatron who was back for more. "Or not," Mamoru sweat dropped.

"Here we go again…" Waffle grunted, as Infernatron drew closer.

Infernatron was about to fire again, but stopped short as it was doused by a torrent of water. If it weren't for the fact that Infernatron was a machine type Shard Beast, Infernatron would have been screaming by now as being made from a machine (that was not waterproof), and being aligned with fire made contact with water excruciatingly painful.

"Well you two took your time," Alicia commented.

"Hey, try pulling off a sneak attack when you get ambushed by at least 30 Frags, then you can say that," Red shot back, as he and Elh jumped down, just as the last of the water finished dousing Infernatron.

"Can we just beat the Shard Beast now?" Mamoru commented.

"Uh, right!" Red and Alicia said, snapping out of their little argument. However, before they could get to that, Infernatron began firing wildly with whatever power it had left.

"Hit the deck!" Red called out as they quickly ducked to avoid the attacks. It was at that point that Mamoru noticed where or rather towards whom the stray attack was headed toward.

"Dad! No!" Mamoru cried, realizing the blast was headed straight for his father, who had been busy evacuating any injured rescue workers, whilst trying to put out the fires. Despite how far the blast had gone, Mamoru was quickly on his feet and running toward his father, hoping that by some miracle he would be able to get his father out of the way. In that instant, Mamoru forgot everything else, and focused completely on saving his father, not realizing that his feelings would bring forth the miracle he needed.

Though he didn't realize it, Mamoru's suit began glowing as it developed tribal-like markings. At the same time, his helmet changed as it lost the muzzle and the ears, morphing into a Ranger helmet that would fit a human ranger. With the transformation, Mamoru suddenly sped forward as his already enhanced speed doubled, allowing him to get between his father and the blast. Mamoru quickly blocked the attack with his shield, just as his shield glowed, with energy from his suit flowing into the shield, which at the same time, reverted him back into his regular suit. "Counter Burst!" Mamoru called out, sending a powerful blast, which blasted right through Infernatron.

Infernatron stumbled as though just noticing the hole in his chest, before falling forward and exploding into a rain of crystal shards.

-PRCF-

_Enemy base_

"Heh, looks like your Shard Beast failed," Fool said snidely.

Bruno gritted his teeth in anger. His Shard Beast had failed him, and Fool refused to make it grow. Glaring at the viewing globe, he saw the victorious Rangers, and it made his blood boil with rage. His crystal shard began reacting to that anger, and on instinct he brought his hands together, creating a ball of energy roughly the size of a basketball. Losing himself in his rage, he activated the viewing globe, projecting his image above Nippon.

-PRCF-

_Nippon_

"Curse you meddling Rangers!" Bruno roared through the projection.

"Bruno?" Red and Elh gasped at the sight of the supposedly dead Caninu.

"Careful Rangers. Even through that projection I can still pick up Shard Beast signals. In other words another general class," Zero said over the intercom.

"But how is he alive? He was consumed by Lares a year ago," Elh said.

"Yes, but according to the legends, a Shard Beast doesn't have to be 'alive' to be turned into one," Zero answered.

Any further discussions were halted by Bruno. "Take this!" Bruno roared, throwing the ball down.

"Look out!" Elh yelled, as the five of them jumped out of the way. However, they weren't the real target. Instead, the ball hit the remains of Infernatron, causing a massive explosion. Within the explosion, Infernatron's shards seemed to melt, before coming together and rapidly expanding. When the smoke cleared, the rangers could see what looked like a purple blob, which quickly reformed into a giant version of Infernatron.

-PRCF-

Fool had his jaw hanging open, as he watched Bruno actually manage to make a monster grow.

-PRCF-

"Here we go again…" Waffle commented.

"I get the feeling this is gonna become a habit…" Mamoru sighed, as the five of them pulled out their weapons.

"Jigen Shokan! Crystal Animals!" they called out, summoning the Crystal Animals.

Already knowing the damage Infernatron was capable of, the five of them quickly jumped into their Crystal Animals with their weapons ready.

"Crystal Animals! Crystal Gattai!"

(Insert gattai sequence)

Crystal Dragon's legs folded together, before the upper body did a 180 degree twist, as the wings folded together to form a sort of chest plate, while the neck, head, and lower body remained the same, followed by the neck pulling back into the torso, leaving only the head, which bent down, completing the head and torso. Following this, Crystal Rhino unfolded to form the legs and waist, with the Rhino's head becoming the right foot, while the left foot had a blunt shaped foot. The legs of the Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness folded into their bodies, before the heads bent downward into a 90 degree position, as their tails folded upward, revealing hands, completing the arms, with the heads of the two Crystal Animals becoming the shoulders. Crystal Eagle straightened out, before all the Crystal Animals came together, with Crystal Eagle's talons locked between the torso and the waist, as Crystal Eagle attached to the back of the torso, and the wings folded in, while the legs and arms were securely locked in place (Wolf used as right arm, and Lioness used as left arm). To finish off, a golden helmet appeared and fitted itself on to Crystal Dragon's head, as the horns grew longer, giving it the appearance of a (literal) Dragon Knight. Inside, the five Rangers now found themselves together in a much larger chamber, with their individual consoles right in front of them. (A/N: Okay, I admit that the Gattai sequence was a cross between Gingaioh and GaoKing (Striker Mode))

(Gattai sequence end)

"Crystal Knight! Shine-On!" the five Rangers called out, as they inserted their weapons into their individual consoles.

"Alright, let's finish this quickly," Mamoru said, not wanting to risk his home town being burned to the ground by the Shard Beast.

"Right! Crystal Saber!" the other Rangers nodded, as they summoned Crystal Knight's primary weapon. Not wasting any time, Crystal Knight charged at Infernatron with its saber ready.

Infernatron wasn't planning to wait, as it opened fire on Crystal Knight, causing sparks to fly as the Gattai was pushed back.

"How are we supposed to beat it if we can't even get near it?" Red growled in annoyance as he and his team struggled to keep Crystal Knight on its feet from the onslaught.

"Wait a minute! That's it!" Alicia suddenly exclaimed.

"What's it?" Waffle asked.

"The Shard Beast may have grown, but the attacks are still the same. After 6 shots, there's a pause in between the attacks. That's our chance!" Alicia explained.

"That's not going to work. The attacks will start again before we can execute the Spectrum Strike," Elh stated.

"No problem, Elh. I get what Alicia is saying. The pause might not be enough for the finisher, but it's more than enough for us to take out the cannons," Red said.

"That might work. Let's try it," Mamoru agreed, earning nods from the others.

"Okay then, let's go!" Red said, as they directed Crystal Knight to advance.

Infernatron immediately began firing away with its cannons. Sparks flew as the attacks hit, but Crystal Knight had its saber up as a sort of shield to block some of the attacks. True enough, after 6 shots, there was a pause in Infernatron's attack.

"Now!" the Rangers called out, as the Crystal Knight shot forward, striking the cannons with its saber.

Infernatron was sent staggering back by the attack. Worse, when it tried to fire another round of attacks, the cannons were no longer able to fire, thanks to the damage that had been inflicted on them.

(Insert battle theme: "Best of The Best of The Best" (Instrumental version) OST Power Rangers in Space)

"Oh, you're in trouble now," Red said with a grin, as the five of them pulled out their respective weapons from the console, which transformed into copies of the Crystal Saber.

"This is payback for all those innocent people you harmed!" Mamoru said, as the five of them raised their sabers in unison, with the Gattai mimicking their movement, as its saber began to glow with a rainbow of colors.

"Crystal Saber! Spectrum Strike!" they called out, as they brought their sabers down, as Crystal Knight executed its finisher.

Infernatron was struck down the middle by the attack, damaging it beyond its limit. Infernatron staggered, trying to stay in the fight. Infront of the Shard Beast, Crystal Knight simply turned around, the Crystalrangers already knowing that Infernatron was finished. Infernatron staggered a bit more, before finally crystalizing, falling back and exploding into a rain of purple crystal shards. Down below, several shards came together to reveal the flame thrower that had been used to create Infernatron, before the core shard came out and shattered, causing the rest of the shards to dissolve.

Inside Crystal Knight, the five Rangers cheered for their victory.

"Signals negative. Shard Beast eliminated. Good job, team," Zero acknowledged.

(Theme end)

-PRCF-

_Later, Mamoru's House_

"Come on Mamoru, let's go," Waffle said, as they neared Mamoru's house.

The young Caninu shook his head as he stood still on the spot. "But…"

"You have to tell them eventually. Don't worry, we'll help you out," Elh reassured, as she and the rest of the team smiled at their youngest member.

"Alright…" Mamoru relented with a small smile, knowing that he had their support.

The five of them entered the house. "We're back," Mamoru said.

"Welcome home," his mother said, as she and Matoi went to the door, followed by their father, who had gotten back a bit earlier then the five of them.

"Welcome home," his father nodded, before his tone became serious. "Where have you been Mamoru?" he asked.

"Um… Well, you know about what happened at the warehouse, about that monster," Mamoru started.

"Yes, am I wrong to say that it was the five of you that defeated that monster?" his father said, much to his surprise.

"Huh? How did you?" Mamoru started, obviously startled at the question.

"You can blame that on Chocolat and I," came a familiar voice.

"Zero?" Mamoru blinked, surprised to see the human casually leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, we figured since we'd have to tell them eventually, we decided to save you the trouble," Chocolat added.

"Yes, they explained to us about the crisis happening right now," Mamoru's father nodded, before smiling. "Your mother and I are proud of you, son."

"Thanks, Dad," Mamoru said with a smile.

"Now then, I believe we should make preparations for our next move," Zero said.

"Oh? But it's already getting late. Why don't you all stay the night?" Matoi said.

"She's got a point there, Zero," Red laughed.

"Alright, but we can't, or rather shouldn't stay for too long. But a night shouldn't be a problem," Zero relented, cracking a smile under his mask, as he watched with amusement, as their mission took a quick break, which quickly turned into an amusing slumber party.

-PRCF-

_Meanwhile, enemy base_

Bruno roared in anger, as he blindly hurled fireballs in every direction. "Impossible! I nearly had them!"

"Right. You **nearly** had them, but in the end, your Shard Beast just didn't have what it took to finish the job," Fool said with a grin, as he stood behind a barrier, easily deflecting any stray fireballs.

Before another argument between the two generals could break out, the entire base began to shake, as purple waves of energy seemed to spread in a steady rhythm, much like a pulse.

"Interesting, while your Shard Beast lost, at least it did something right. Harvest a lot of fear," Fool blinked.

"Yes, it seems Infernatron did harvest a large amount of fear," Bruno agreed, as the two of them watched the steady ripples. The ripples continued for a while, before something began to rise from the floor. The thing revealed to be a gigantic crystal, which was colored the same sickly shade of purple as the crystals used by the generals. However, this was no ordinary crystal. This was the source of the shards. This was the ancient evil that had returned to the universe. This was The Demon Heart.

"Well done, my generals. You have collected a substantial amount of negative energy," a dark voice echoed in their heads, as a massive eye appeared on the surface of the Demon Heart.

"Thank you, Master," Fool said, as he and Bruno bowed.

"However, for me to fully revive, the current amount is far, far too little. I require at least a hundred times more than this. Perhaps more," Demon Heart stated.

"Rest assure, we will begin harvesting more for you immediately," Bruno said, as he and Fool went about thinking of more schemes to harvest the necessary negative energy.

(Scene freezes, as the episode ends)

-PRCF-

(Ending theme: "Mirai Iro" by Plastic Trees. OST Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

_*music*_

As the music starts, we see shots of Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru (in this order), before the scene changes to show silhouettes of the five of them in Sentai form, with the shadow of Crystal Knight in the background.

_Hatenaki Sekai naraba kono Mune ni wa Akashi o_

We see a scene zooming out, revealing Red holding the Courage Sword, pointing it at the screen. He has his usual cocky expression on his face. Along his arm, a faded picture of Crystal Dragon is seen.

_Onaji Namidanuretara Bokura Waraiaou_

The scene then changes to another zoom out scene, with this one showing Elh with her back turned, as though walking away. On her skirt, a faded picture of Crystal Eagle is seen.

_Toki Hanattetta Genjitsu de kizamu Kodou ni Fureezu o_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Waffle who is seemingly doing a backward flip with a grin on his face, while pointing his Light Bow at the screen. On his leg, a faded picture of Crystal Wolf is seen.

_Kyoumei shiteku Kokoro ni Oto o tatete Saku Namae no nai Hana_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Alicia, who is seemingly doing a cart wheel, while pointing her Dark Whip at the screen, as though lashing out with it. On her pants, a faded picture of Crystal Lioness is seen.

_Osoroi no Ibasho Bokura Mitsukeru_

Another zoom out scene is shown, with this one showing Mamoru, who looks like he is about to leap out of the screen. On his uniform, a faded picture of Crystal Rhino is seen.

_Yume miruyou ni Mezamete Mirai madette Nobashita Te _

The scene changes to show Alicia who is holding her hand up, as though she is falling. Around her, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Stare (with her usual calm appearance), Flare (with her usual cheerful expression), Panta (looking determined as always), Princess Terria (with a gentle smile on her face), Cyan (with his usual confident smile), and Fool (looking like he is planning something). Most noticeable of all is a silver colored crystal with a faded picture of Beluga (with a stoic look on his face).

_Tsukamu hanasu Kurikaeshi Sagashite_

The scene slowly shifts up to show Waffle who is holding out his hand, as though trying to catch Alicia before she falls. Around him, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Opera (in her usual pose with her fan), Gren (dutifully standing with his arms crossed), Calua (with his usual big grin on his face), Merveille (smiling slightly), Chocolat (with her usual cheerful appearance), and Bruno (laughing insanely). Most noticeable of all is a gold colored crystal with a faded picture of Zero with his mask on.

_Omoi tsuiteku Iro de Kurayami datte nurikaenagara_

The five Infinity Crystals are seen circling each other, before a hand reaches out for them, causing them to scatter

_Kioku KIZUNA Kibou to Kasanetara_

The scene zooms out to reveal two figures standing in a forest bathed with golden light.

_Mirai Iro zutto Bokura wa egaiteku_

The two figures reveal to be Red and Elh, as both stand side by side, watching the source of the golden light with their hands intertwined. The scene then shifts to reveal the light to be coming from the shining silhouette of an unknown Gattai, as the Infinity Crystals are seen revolving around it.

-PRCF-

Author's Note:

Episode 3 re-done. After thinking about it for a while, I decided that a Super Sentai theme would fit this fic better, so from now on, this is a sentai fic.


	5. Plans Unveiling Door to the Unknown

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Zero, the infinity crystals, the Crystal Animals, and the monsters.

A/N: I might refer to the team as either "Sentai", "Super Sentai", "Crystalrangers", or even just "Rangers".

(Opening theme: "Colors" by FLOW. OST Code Geass)

_*music*_

As the music starts, several flashes of light begin collecting into a ball, before flashes of red, blue, yellow, white, and black begin coming out of the ball, followed by pulsing waves and more flashes. Finally scene changes to show quick pictures of Red, Elh, Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia (in this order).

_Jibun wo sekai sae mo kaete shimaesou na Shunkan ha itsumo sugu soba ni..._

A ball of light breaks apart to reveal the five Infinity Crystal, which dance around the screen before splitting up into three directions. Scene then changes to show images of Shephered Republic, Prairie Kingdom, and Nippon (in this order).

_Kakusenu iradachi to_

The scene shows Red and Elh standing back to back (background: night sky, presumably on top of The Asmodeus), looking up at the sky, before the silhouette of Crystal Red and Crystal Blue appear next to them in the same position.

_tachitsukusu jibun wo _

The scene changes to show Waffle and Alicia holding hands as they stand side by side a top Resaca Tower, looking down at the scenery (background: morning, specifically sunrise), before the silhouettes of Crystal White and Crystal Black appear behind them.

_mitsume _

Scene changes to show a quick shot of Mamoru with Crystal Yellow by his side (both of them mirror each other).

_Mayoinagara _

The scene shows Chocolat, Panta, Stare, and Flare standing on top The Asmodeus.

_nayaminagara _

The scene shows Princess Terria, Cyan, Chamberlain, Hound III, and Russel Ryebread standing in Prairie Castle (specifically the Throne Room).

_kuyaminagara _

The scene shows Merveille, Beluga, Opera, Gren, and Calua standing in The Golden Roar.

_kimereba ii sa _

Scene changes to show a flock of birds flying above the many floating continents.

_Kimi ga kureta kotoba hitotsu tomadoi ha kiesari_

The scene shows a group shot of Red, Chocolat, Elh and the entire Kurvaz guild in Pharaoh. Then the scene changes to show a group shot of Mamoru, his father, and several rescue workers in Nippon. The scene changes again to show a group shot of Waffle and Alicia with the Prairie Police, the Prairie knights, and the rest of the black cats gang, along with Princess Terria in Porto. Finally the scene changes to show Zero standing alone in a meadow, before the meadow changes into the remains of a battle field.

_Karappo datta boku no heya ni hikari ga sashita _

The Infinity Crystals shine as the Rangers raise their weapons and release a bright light, which travels into the sky.

_Miageta oozora ga aoku sumikitte yuku _

The Crystal Animals are seen emerging from a portal in the sky, before joining together to form Crystal Knight.

_Tozashita mado wo hiraku koto wo kimeta _

The Rangers are seen combining their weapons into the Crystal Blaster, before firing at the screen.

_Jibun wo sekai sae mo kaete shimaesou na _

Crystal Knight is seen fighting with its Crystal Saber against an unseen enemy.

_Shunkan wo kanjiru ima koko ni..._

Crystal Knight is seen charging up for its finisher, before bringing the saber down, executing the Spectrum Strike, which causes a bright flash of light. The light then changes into the title.

(Opening song finish)

-JSCR-

Episode 4: Plans Unveiling. Door to the Unknown

_Enemy Base…_

Fool and Bruno watched as the void that had once been their base began to take form. Ever since their master fully awakened within his crystal, the void around them had started to solidify, before forming what it was now.

"I give you, Castle Abyss," The Demon Heart said as the structure solidified.

Deciding to get a better look, the two Shard Beast Generals levitated up above the now named Castle Abyss, just as it took form into a massive crystalline castle. The entire structure, along with the interior looked like it was made from the same crystal that comprised the Demon Heart (the crystals that were a venomous shade of purple).

"Not bad," Bruno commented, as the two of them stepped toward the Demon Heart, which had embedded itself on one of the walls, which gave it a clear view of the viewing globe.

"Colors nice, though I can do without the gothic theme," Fool commented.

"Not like we get to choose," Bruno commented.

"Come, my Generals. The time has come for the next phase of my plan," the Demon Heart said, its booming voice echoing through the minds of the two Generals, snapping them out of their conversation. "However, for that to happen, I require just a little more negative energy. Go! Gather me that energy!" it ordered.

"Understood," the two Generals responded, as they began coming up with more schemes to harvest said negative energy.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile, at the Golden Roar_

"Okay, that's the last of it," Red said, as he set down a box filled with a few personal belongings. He and the other Rangers had been busy helping Waffle, Alicia, Mamoru, and Matoi set the rooms they would be using throughout the duration of their mission. After their trip to Nippon, Mamoru's parents had requested that they take Matoi with them, as they felt that given the situation, she would be safer with them rather than in Nippon. Of course, the team had agreed, especially Mamoru, who was more than happy to be able to protect his younger sister.

"Thanks again for loaning us the rooms," Waffle said to Opera, as he was busy helping the others set up the rooms.

"Think nothing of it, darling. After all, this is the fate of the universe we're talking about, so a few rooms is a tiny price to pay," Opera replied with her usual flirty tone, before leaving the Sentai to their own devices.

"Speaking of universe, has anyone seen Zero?" Elh asked, as the other Rangers sighed at their 'mentor's' habit of appearing and disappearing at a moment's notice.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since we got back from Nippon," Red commented.

"Honestly, that guy just ups and vanishes whenever he wants," Alicia sighed, as they silently agreed that Zero's habit really was annoying.

"Well excuse me if I need to keep monitoring for any Shard Beast activity," Zero stated, his monotone voice laced with a hint of annoyance, as he suddenly appeared in the hall.

"Gah!" everyone else cried out, having been once again surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Would it kill you to use a door?" Alicia exclaimed as she and the others clutched their respective chests, trying to slow down their beating hearts.

"No, but it's more efficient for me to teleport straight to your locations," Zero stated in his usual no nonsense manner.

"So, do you have anything to report?" Elh asked.

"So far nothing yet. However, I believe this is just the calm before a storm. Be on guard," Zero stated.

"Speaking of being on guard, we're supposed to be a superhero team, right?" Mamoru asked.

"Yes, that's correct. Is there something you wanted to know?" Zero asked.

"Yeah, I was wondering. Since we're a superhero team, shouldn't we get some cool catch phrase, or maybe a roll call, like on those shows?" Mamoru said.

"Why would we need a roll call?" Alicia asked, curious as to Mamoru's reason for the question.

"Well… I just thought that since we're supposed to be heroes, wouldn't it be easier to be heroes if everyone knew that we are here to help them," Mamoru explained.

"I don't really see the point of it, but I guess a roll call would be pretty cool, plus it shows that we're supposed to be superheroes," Red said with a sweat drop.

"Personally I think a roll call is unnecessary, but I suppose Mamoru has a point. It would certainly be easier to save lives when the people know who the hero and who the villain is, even if actions speak louder than words," Zero relented.

"If that's the case, I guess we should start thinking up a roll call," Waffle said.

"While I still believe a roll call is unnecessary, I do have something for ideas," Zero said, as he pulled out a disk.

"What's that?" Elh asked.

"Your predecessors," Zero stated, before placed the disk on a console he had fished out from his cloak, and playing the disk, causing a holographic screen to appear. On the screen, the Crystalrangers could see various other Super Sentai. "This disk contains recordings of the various Super Sentai that have come before you," Zero explained. "I figured you could use their catch phrases as a base."

"Cool. So what do you suggest?" Mamoru asked.

"Well, first there is the simple roll call, such as the one used by the Sentai known as the Gokaigers," Zero suggested, as he selected said Super Sentai team.

_(Begin recording)_

"_Gokai Red!"_

"_Gokai Blue!"_

"_Gokai Green!"_

"_Gokai Yellow!"_

"_Gokai Pink!"_

"_Kaizoku Sentai: Gokaiger!"_

_(Recording end)_

"Simple and straight to the point, but tells nothing other than your identity," Zero explained.

"Hmm, seems like a lot of trouble just to tell everyone who we are," Red commented.

"Well, there is the longer version that includes personal titles, along with a mission statement. One example would be the Goseigers," Zero suggested, before selecting the recording of said Sentai team.

_(Begin Recording)_

"_The Skick Power of Storms! GoseiRed!"_

"_The Skick Power of Breath! GoseiPink!"_

"_The Landick Power of Rocks! GoseiBlack!"_

"_The Landick Power of Buds! GoseiYellow!"_

"_The Seaick Power of Waves! GoseiBlue!"_

"_Protecting the planet is an angel's duty! Tensou Sentai: Goseiger!"_

_(Recording end)_

"Well… that was long," Waffle commented.

"Though you have to admit, it was pretty good," Alicia commented.

"Okay then, I guess we could use something like that," Red said.

"While it's good that you all picked one, do you really think the enemy is going to stand still until you finish the speech?" Zero asked, voicing his concern.

"Zero does have a point. By the time we finish those speeches, we'd be overrun by Frags. If anything, I'm surprised that our predecessors actually had enemies that were 'polite' (or dumb) enough to wait for them to finish their roll calls," Elh agreed.

"True, but I've got an easy fix to that," Red said with a grin.

"How so?" Zero asked.

"Simple. Instead of just standing and finishing the speeches, we can say the roll calls while we fight," Red said.

"That's not a bad idea," Waffle agreed.

"It also makes us different from the other Sentai," Alicia commented.

"It certainly eliminates my main concern," Zero nodded.

"It's settled then. Now we just have to think of a roll call for everyone," Mamoru said, as the team began brainstorming.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile, at Basset_

It was a rather uneventful day in Basset. The residents of the slums were going about their usual business like any other day. Too bad that was about to come to an end.

Within one of the abandoned battle ships, a small portal opened above one of the many hermit crabs (the middle sized ones that have junk shells) that inhabited the ship. From the portal, a Core Shard came out, before embedding itself in one of the crabs. Immediately, the shard took effect, as the hermit crab began mutating, causing all the other crabs to run away as they sensed that whatever was being formed would be a danger to them, and thus better off left alone.

The hermit crab had finished mutating, revealing a Shard Beast that looked like a humanoid crab with a large spiral shell on its back. The Shard Beast was black in color, with the shell being a dark green. Its arms were two large claws that looked sharp enough to cut through steel, while its lower body was insect-like with six sharp legs.

As though in response to the completion of the mutation, a portal appeared, before Fool stepped out of the portal. "Ah yes, a fine Shard Beast," Fool commented as he stepped closer to his Shard Beast.

"I am Compacean. What are your orders, master?" The Shard Beast, now known as Compacean asked.

Fool smiled a devious smile, before giving his order. "Tear apart Basset, till nothing left remains, and dispose of anyone who gets in your way!"

"At once," Compacean nodded, before walking towards a portion of the battleship he was currently in. "I shall start with this!" he roared, before firing a beam from his eyes. The portion of the ship that was hit immediately broke apart, before it was pulled toward the Shard Beast, where it compacted into a ball. Compacean then swung his right arm, causing the ball to fly as though it were thrown, before it impacted against another wall, drawing in any broken pieces of metal.

"Excellent," Fool said with a dark smile, satisfied at the abilities of his Shard Beast, as he stepped back into another portal that had appeared, leaving his Shard Beast to do the dirty work.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile, Golden Roar_

"So basically according to the legends, each Infinity Crystal is supposed to represent a certain aspect necessary for balance and strength?" Red asked, as Zero had finished explaining another part of the legend regarding the Infinity Crystals. Earlier, while they were able to think up a mission statement for their roll call, they still hadn't thought up on personal titles. In that situation, they had asked Zero if he knew any part of the legend that might have something to help them think up personal titles for themselves.

"Correct. The red, blue, and yellow crystals represent aspects of the heart. The white and black crystals represent aspects of the world. And the last two crystals, the silver and gold crystals represent aspects of reality," Zero nodded.

"So my crystal represents courage," Red stated.

"The courage that gives the heart strength to overcome all obstacles," Zero answered.

"My crystal represents wisdom," Elh added.

"The wisdom that guides the heart through trials," Zero nodded again.

"My crystal represents hope," Mamoru said.

"The hope that sees the heart through even in despair," Zero confirmed.

"My crystal represents light," Waffle said.

"The light that balances the darkness, reveals truth, and brings understanding," Zero nodded.

"And my crystal represents darkness," Alicia concluded.

"The darkness that balances the light, protects allies, and conceals all from your enemies," Zero confirmed.

"And what about the last two?" Waffle asked curiously.

"According to the legends, the silver crystal represents existence, which maintains reality. In other words, it represents the stability of order that shapes a stable, but at the price of stagnation if nothing is done to bring change to reality. The gold crystal on the other hand, represents miracles that change reality. It's basically the power to make the impossible possible that brings about change. You could say that the gold crystal's power represents the chaos of change and evolution, but at the price of destruction if reality were to change and evolve too fast," Zero finished.

"Okay. Thanks Zero, this will help us out," Mamoru said.

"No problem. Just don't waste too much time thinking about a roll call, since it really isn't all that important," Zero said.

"Don't worry, we know that. Besides, the day an enemy keels over from just words is the day the world ends," Red said with a grin.

Zero nodded in response. "Very well, I shall continue monitoring for any Shard Be-huh?"

It was at that moment that the sensor Zero carried went off. "Another Shard Beast has been detected," he stated.

"Where is it?" Elh asked.

"Scanning…Scanning… Location confirmed! Basset!" Zero said.

"Alright then, let's go guys!" Red exclaimed, before the five of them ran out of the room and teleported to Basset.

"Dude, did we miss something?" Calua asked when he, Gren and Opera stepped into the room a few seconds later, having heard the commotion.

Zero sighed at that. "Shard Beast. Basset," he stated before teleporting up to his ship.

-JSCR-

"Gwahahaha! I'll tear this place apart till there is nothing left!" Compacean laughed as he fired more beams from his eyes, which impacted against several of the battleships (thankfully those were the ones that were off-limits to the general public), breaking them apart, before the pieces were drawn toward the Shard Beast, which compacted them into a ball. "Now, roll!" he roared, as the balls started chasing after the civilians, who were screaming their heads off as they ran from the metal spheres that were trying to make road kill out of them.

Amongst the civilians who were caught up in the chaos, were the four children (Arzane, Charlotte, Biscotte, and Albert) who lived in the local orphanage. "Everyone, hurry!" Arzane called out to his friends. Earlier they had wanted to sneak into one of the battleships to play, so when nobody was looking, they had snuck out of the orphanage. However, they had only gotten as far as the port when they started hearing explosions coming from one of the battleships, followed by the wall of said battle being torn open as the crab monster that was terrorizing the town stepped out of the ship and started tearing apart the town. Now, they were running for their lives, as the monster had thankfully not noticed them yet.

"Why did a monster have to show up now?" Charlotte said, as the four of them were about to exit the port. Too bad Compacean saw them.

"Where do you think you're going?" he growled, before sending one of his balls towards them at high speed.

"Kyaaah!" the four kids screamed as they saw the metal ball that was headed right for them. Knowing that they wouldn't be able to dodge, they closed their eyes waiting for it to hit.

"Look out!" a voice called out, before the sound of something cutting through something else could be heard.

Barely daring to open their eyes, the four kids looked to see their savior, and found themselves staring at the back of Crystal Red, who was crouched down, having just cleanly sliced the metal ball that was about to squash them in half.

"An Infinity Crys-gwah!" Compacean cried out as he was suddenly assaulted by several flashes of light, which revealed to be the other Crystalrangers. When the assault stopped, he was quickly acquainted with the blade of Crystal Red's Courage Sword, causing sparks to fly as he was sent sprawling to the ground.

"Keep your grubby claws (and your over-sized marbles) away from these kids!" Red growled dangerously as his sword glowed brightly, ready to slice the Shard Beast in half.

If he could, Compacean would have sweat dropped, as the five Sentai members surrounded him with their weapons ready. "Tch. Frags!" he called out, throwing the familiar marble, which shattered and turned into a squad of Frags.

"These guys again? Don't they have anything new?" Alicia commented as the five of them charged at the Frags. Summoning her whip, she wrapped it around one of the Frags, before using it as a wrecking ball against the other Frags, breaking through several lines.

"Oh well, at least we already know how to deal with these guys," Mamoru said, as he smashed one Frag on the head with his shield.

The Crystalrangers were busy making short work of the frags. Red had grabbed one of the Frags, before throwing it into a line of Frags, causing them to fall like dominos. Waffle was busy slicing through the Frags with the bladed ends of his Bow, while Mamoru continued to smash Frag after Frag with his shield. At the same time, Elh and Alicia were double teaming on a bunch of Frags that had tried to blindside them, throwing the Frags against each other, smashing every last one.

"Grrr, in that case, try this!" Compacean growled as he summoned all the metal balls that he had managed to create, causing them to levitate around him.

"I don't think so! Spread Shot!" Waffle said, before firing a large number of arrows from his Bow. The arrows made contact and destroyed the metal balls, creating a massive cloud of dust. The rangers readied themselves, but when the dust cleared, the Shard Beast was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd he go?" Alicia asked.

"Signal lost. The Shard Beast got away," Zero said as he suddenly contacted them.

"Oh well, we'll get it next time," Red sighed when he heard that, as the five of them immediately relocated to a more secluded area, before changing back into their civilian forms.

-JSCR-

"Is everyone ok? What happened here?" Elh asked, feigning ignorance. After they had confirmed that the Shard Beast had escaped, the five of them changed back to their civilian forms, before coming back to the port. When they got there, they noticed the kids from the orphanage and decided to check up on them.

"Waaah! Red, Elh! It was so scary!" Charlotte cried as she ran to the two Hunters.

"Yeah! There was this scary crab monster that tried to flatten us!" Albert added, as Elh was busy comforting Charlotte.

"Children! Oh, thank heavens all of you are alright!" came a familiar voice.

"Waaah! Ms. Fraisier!" the four of them cried as they ran to the kind old Felineko.

"Don't worry. It looks like the kids are okay," Alicia said with a smile. She had heard about Ms. Frasier from Waffle when he told her about the time he had been giving safety lessons to the orphanage in Basset, and from what she had heard, the old Felineko was about as nice as they come.

"That's good to hear. Thank you for taking care of the kids," Ms. Fraisier said, assuming that it was them who had saved the kids.

"Uh, thanks, but it wasn't us who saved the kids," Red lied. Even though it was them who had saved the kids from the Shard Beast, they still had to hide their identities.

"Yeah, it was those people with colorful costumes," Biscotte commented.

"Yeah, it was really cool how they beat that crab monster," Arzane agreed, almost instantly forgetting how scared he had been feeling.

"Sounds like the kids were saved by the Crystalrangers," Waffle said, deciding to at least let them know about that.

"Crystalrangers? Who are they?" Charlotte asked, as the four kids went closer to him.

"The Crystalrangers are a hero team that suddenly showed up when these monsters started appearing. We've seen them fight a few monsters already," Mamoru said.

"Is that so? Then I must thank them for saving the children if I ever see them," Fraisier said with a grateful smile.

"You might just get your chance," Elh said, before turning to the kids. "Tell me, did the Crystalrangers hit the monster with a laser beam after they combined their weapons?"

"No, I think the monster disappeared after the white one hit it with some arrows. Why?" Albert answered.

"Well, every time they fought a monster, it only went away permanently after it was hit with that laser, so maybe the monster only ran away," Red said.

"Oh dear! That means the monster might still be around. Come along everyone, let's go back," Ms. Fraisier said, as she quickly lead the children back to the orphanage. "You're all welcome to come as well."

"We'd appreciate that," Elh smiled, as the five of them followed.

-JSCR-

_Castle Abyss, Viewing Room_

"Hm… Again we sent a Shard Beast, and again that meddlesome group came to fight it. How are they even tracking the Shard Beast so quickly?" Fool mused in annoyance. "Oh well, at least Compacean managed to escape."

"It would seem that they are only able to track a Shard Beast when it is harvesting. Otherwise, they would have been able to track the Shard Beast after it ran away," Bruno commented.

"_A most troublesome predicament. However, it means that they are only able to respond to our actions, so at the very least, they will be unable to make any preemptive strikes,_" The Demon Heart stated, its voice booming in the two Generals' minds.

"Yes, at the very least, we will still be able to harvest a decent amount of negative emotions before any interference happen," Fool agreed.

"_For now, continue to harvest the negative emotions of the people. Go, Compacean!_" The Demon Heart's voice boomed through the minds of all the Shard Beast.

-JSCR-

_Basset, amongst the battle ships…_

"_Understood, my lord,_" Compacean thought, having received the Demon Heart's orders.

-JSCR-

_Basset, Fraisier Orphanage_

Earlier, Ms. Fraisier had to leave to run a few errands, so right now, the five rangers were busy watching/playing with the kids while they were at the Orphanage, along with Chocolat and Matoi, who had come to Basset with Zero. Of course, Zero stayed out of sight as much as possible as always.

"I see the five of you are enjoying this reprieve," Zero said from behind one of the trees.

"Yeah, it's always fun to act like kids every now and then," Red nodded, as he and Elh were taking a break, while watching Mamoru, Matoi, and Chocolat play tag with Arzane and Charlotte, while Waffle and Alicia were drawing along with Albert and Biscotte.

"Don't forget, the Shard Beast is still out there. I know these kids mean a lot to you, but for their sakes, you'd be better off not getting too close for now," Zero said, a small tone of empathy creeping into his otherwise monotone voice.

"You sound like you have a lot of experience in this," Elh said, noticing the slight empathy in Zero's voice.

Zero remained silent for a moment, but decided to answer anyway. "I lost someone who was important to me because I was too close to them, and my enemies took advantage of that," Zero said, trying to hide the pain in his voice.

Red and Elh's eyes widened in surprise when they heard the normally stoic Zero express emotions like that. "We're… sorry for your loss," Red said, not sure what else to say.

"It doesn't matter anymore. That was years ago. However, this is another reason why I don't want you revealing your identities more than necessary," Zero sighed.

Red and Elh didn't answer, as they thought about what they had just been told. "So, any word on the Shard Beast?" Elh asked, trying to defuse the tension in the air.

"So far nothing, but I'll go back to my ship to run more scans," Zero said, before turning to leave. He was about to teleport back to his ship when Elh stopped him.

"Hey, Zero…" Elh started.

"Yes?" Zero answered.

"Thanks for looking out for all of us," Red said.

"That is the reason I was sent here. Also, even though it's been years since it happened, I've never forgotten that feeling. Nobody deserves to feel that way," Zero said as he turned to face them. It was then that they noticed the lower half of his mask had retracted, and they saw for the first time, the small smile he had underneath. Zero then closed his mask again, before teleporting up to his ship.

-JSCR-

_The Wanderer, Bridge_

Zero walked over to the scanner, as he initiated another scan. "_Why did I tell them that so easily?_" he thought, as his thoughts wandered back to the conversation he had with Red and Elh. '_Because even if you don't realize it, you know you can trust them_' a little voice said to him from the back of his mind.

Closing his eyes, Zero reached into his cloak, and pulled out 3 military name tags. The first two had been crudely scratched out, leaving only their first names visible, while their family names were unreadable. The last name tag had remained untouched, showing both the first and last name of the owner.

"_Kyle… Amelia… Wendy…_" Zero thought, as a single tear fell from under his mask.

His thoughts were cut short when the alarms went off.

-JSCR-

_Basset_

"Thank you very much for watching the kids. I hope they weren't any trouble," Ms. Fraisier said, as the Sentai, along with Matoi and Chocolat were about to leave.

"Don't worry. It was our pleasure to help. Right, everyone?" Red said, earning nods from everyone else.

Saying one last goodbye, they left the orphanage. They only got as far as the Path of Fishing, when their communicators started beeping.

"What is it, Zero?" Waffle asked.

"The Shard Beast is back! The signal is coming from the battleship right next to you," Zero said.

"Alright, this time we're not letting it get away!" Alicia said, as they headed toward the battleship.

"Chocolat, you and Matoi wait for us in the Asmodeus. We'll meet you there after we deal with the Shard Beast!" Red ordered.

"Okay, you five be careful out there!" Chocolat said, as she and Matoi headed for the Asmodeus.

What none of them realized, was that after they had left, the kids had decided they wanted to at least see them off to the port, so they had decided to follow them.

"Why are they headed to the battleship?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"I don't know, but let's follow them. It looked important," Arzane said, before dashing off after them.

"Ah! Arzy, wait for me!" Charlotte cried in surprise.

"Hey, wait up!" Biscotte exclaimed.

"I just know this is a bad idea…" Albert frowned, before following his friends.

-JSCR-

_Inside the battleship_

The Crystalrangers (still in civilian form) had gotten deep into the battleship.

"I think we're getting close to the engine room," Mamoru commented.

"Judging by the signal, I'd say it is in the engine room," Zero said over the communicators.

"Right! And this time, there's no escape!" Red nodded, as they approached the engine room.

True enough, when they got to the engine room, they noticed Compacean busy tearing up parts of the walls and engine, which he was compressing into his metal balls.

"Mwahahahaha! Once I've collected enough metal, I'll use them to really wreck the town. Once I do that, the fear and panic I'll harvest will be massive!" Compacean laughed, as he continued to tear away at the engine room.

"Not if we have something to say about that! Crystal Access!" the five Sentai members yelled, as they jumped down whilst activating their Crystal Braces.

(Insert henshin sequence)

Each of them was encased in a larger version of their respective Infinity Crystal, before the crystals broke apart to reveal each of them in matching uniforms that were colored red (Red), blue (Elh), yellow (Mamoru), white (Waffle), and black (Alicia) respectively (in Mamoru's case, he had actually gone through a growth spurt, resulting in him becoming only slightly shorter than Red). The suits they were wearing looked like basic ranger suits, with an emblem that looked like a seven pointed star, with each point being a different color (clockwise from the top: red, blue, yellow, white, black, silver, and gold) on their chest. Gold lines ran down their shoulders, and around their collars. On their arms and legs, they wore white gloves and boots with silver lines around the wrist and ankles. The finishing touch was their helmets that appeared on their heads. Each helmet was shaped accordingly to their species, with a black visor over their eyes, with the boys getting dog themed helmets, and the girls getting cat themed helmets.

(Henshin sequence end)

The five Crystalrangers landed, ready for battle.

Up on the rafters, the four kids from the orphanage could only stare in shock at what they had just seen.

"They're the ones that saved us," Albert said.

"Wow…" Biscotte said in awe.

"Wow, Red and Elh are…" Charlotte started, but Arzane beat her to it.

"Real superheroes cool!" Arzane yelled in excitement. Thankfully, nobody seemed to hear him over the noise that the old ship was making.

Down with the Sentai, Compacean was not pleased. "You again? Just who do you think you are? Not that it matters, Frags!" he roared, as he summoned a squad of Frags.

"Heh, you want to know? Then we'll tell you!" Red said, as the five of them charged at the Frags.

"Blazing Courage!" Red called out, as he struck several Frags across the chest, before going into a pose with his sword (he lifts his sword up, like a triumphant warrior). "CrystalRed!"

"Ancient Wisdom!" Elh called out, as several Frags were mowed down by a blast from her staff, as she too went into a pose with her staff (she holds her staff in a straight up position, with her right hand grasping the staff, while her left hand placed behind the crystal end of the staff, as though she were preparing to fire a spell). "CrystalBlue!"

"Endless Hope!" Mamoru called out, as he threw a Frag down towards another group of Frags, before going into a pose with his shield (he holds his shield forward, like a defender ready to charge into his enemies). "CrystalYellow!"

"Shining Light!" Waffle called out, as he struck several Frags down with the bladed tips of his bow, before going into a pose as well (he holds his bow horizontally in his right fist, with the fist facing downward, with his left hand stretched behind it, as though he was about to fire an arrow). "CrystalWhite!"

"Protecting Darkness!" Alicia called out, as she lashed out at a group of Frags with her whip, before going into a pose as well (she holds the handle of her whip in her right hand, while stretching out the whip with her left hand, as though she is about to give her opponents the whipping of their lives). "CrystalBlack!"

The five of them then stood together, before pointing at the Shard Beast.

"Shattering the false power of evil! United, we shine! Jigen Sentai Crystalranger!" they called out together, as a multi-colored explosion went off behind them, signaling the end of their entrance.

"Huh? We get an explosion too?" Waffle said in surprise.

"Must come with being a Super Sentai team," Elh shrugged.

"Next time we ought to use that," Red added, before they faced the Shard Beast.

"Tch. You have been a thorn in my master's side for long enough. Die!" Compacean roared, as the metal spheres he had already finished went flying towards the five of them.

"Duck!" Waffle yelled, as the five of them dove for cover, narrowly avoiding the spheres.

The spheres that had missed them turned around to try again, only to be shot down by a rapid fire shot from Waffle, added by a whip lash from Alicia. "We'll handle these oversized marbles!" Alicia said to Red, Elh, and Mamoru.

"Yeah, so you three focus on the Shard Beast!" Waffle added, as he was busy shooting down both the spheres, along with any of the scrap parts that were still flying around.

"Okay, thanks you two!" Red said, as the three of them charged at the Shard Beast.

"Well it aint gonna be that easy!" Compacean said, as he swung his claws around, trying to hit them. One of his claws was about to hit Mamoru, but he managed to block with his shield.

"Ugh! This guy packs a punch! Careful not to get hit!" Mamoru grunted as the claw impacted against his shield.

"Heh, he may be strong, but he's really slow!" Red said, as he jumped over Compacean and delivered a strike to his back. However, his sword was stopped short when it hit the shell.

"That's what the shell is for," Compacean sneered, before hitting Red with his claw, sending Red tumbling back.

"Red!" Elh shouted, as she fired magic bolts from her staff, only for them spark harmlessly against Compacean's shell.

"Ha ha, my shell is impervious to your attacks!" Compacean laughed.

"Impervious this! Pierce shot!" Waffle yelled, before firing a single arrow at Compacean. The arrow impacted against the back of his shell, but unlike the other attacks, it managed to pierce the shell, leaving a crack in it.

"What? Impossible!" Compacean roared in dismay, as Waffle and Alicia, who had already destroyed all of the floating scrap, joined their friends.

"It's called the Pierce Shot for a reason. It may be my weakest attack, but it can pierce through nearly anything, and in this case, that includes your shell," Waffle said.

"Great job Waffle, now we know where to hit him!" Red exclaimed, as he jumped up, and promptly drove his sword into Compacean's shell, causing the Shard Beast to scream in rage, as he tried to dislodge Red from his shell.

"Take this!" Red roared, as he converted the Courage Sword into blaster mode while still embedded in Compacean's shell, and fired several shots, with devastating results.

"Gyaaaaaah!" Compacean roared in pain, as the force of the shots dislodged Red, but severely damaged the shell inside and out.

"Alright, let's finish this!" Alicia said, as the five of them stood together.

"Right!" was the unanimous response.

"Assemble!" they called out as they put their weapons together. The Light Bow was attached on top of the Courage Sword's barrel, followed by the Wisdom Staff, which was split into two halves, before being attached to the two edges of The Light Bow. Following this, the Hope Shield was attached on top of the Light Bow, locking it into place. The finishing touch was the Dark Whip, which was placed under the Courage Sword's barrel.

"Crystal Blaster!" they called out, leveling the weapon. "Prism Wave!"

The beam was fired, and headed straight for Compacean. On instinct, the Shard Beast turned around to try and block with his shell, but when the beam hit, his already weakened shell couldn't take anymore, as the beam broke through, taking out both the shell and Compacean along with it, leaving a pile of crystal shards as remains.

-JSCR-

_Castle Abyss, Viewing room_

"Mraaah! Not again!" Fool cried in outrage, before he pointed his cane towards the viewing globe, and began chanting whilst waving his cane. "Ancient darkness, evil light, bestow this beast with strength and might!" he chanted, causing his cane to spark with purple lightning, before thrusting his cane towards the viewing globe. "Core Resurrection!" he called out, firing the lightning towards the viewing globe.

-JSCR-

_Battleship, Engine room_

The children had been watching in awe as the Crystalrangers defeated the Shard Beast.

"Alright! They won!" Arzane cheered, as the others joined him. However, Albert saw the portal appearing in the sky.

"Huh? What's that?" he asked to no one in particular.

Down below, the Rangers were thinking along the same lines. Their questions were answered when the familiar purple lightning came out and struck the pile of shards. The shards pulsed with energy, before the shards suddenly multiplied and flew up into the sky. The millions of shards came together, before they glowed with an eerie light, as they fused together to form a gigantic version of Compacean. "Gahahaha! Time for round 2!"

"I can see Fool decided to step in," Alicia commented, as they pulled out their weapons.

"Jigen Shokan! Crystal Animals!" they called out, summoning the Crystal Animals, and immediately jumping into them.

"Crystal Animals! Crystal Gattai!"

(Insert Gattai sequence)

Crystal Dragon's legs folded together, before the upper body did a 180 degree twist, as the wings folded together to form a sort of chest plate, while the neck, head, and lower body remained the same, followed by the neck pulling back into the torso, leaving only the head, which bent down, completing the head and torso. Following this, Crystal Rhino unfolded to form the legs and waist, with the Rhino's head becoming the right foot, while the left foot had a blunt shaped foot. The legs of the Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness folded into their bodies, before the heads bent downward into a 90 degree position, as their tails folded upward, revealing hands, completing the arms, with the heads of the two Crystal Animals becoming the shoulders. Crystal Eagle straightened out, before all the Crystal Animals came together, with Crystal Eagle's talons locked between the torso and the waist, as Crystal Eagle attached to the back of the torso, and the wings folded in, while the legs and arms were securely locked in place (Wolf used as right arm, and Lioness used as left arm). To finish off, a golden helmet appeared and fitted itself on to Crystal Dragon's head, as the horns grew longer, completing the Gattai.

(Gattai sequence end)

"Crystal Knight! Shine-On!" the five Rangers called out, as they inserted their weapons into their individual consoles.

"Let's take him out before he gets a chance to collect more metal! Crystal Saber!" Red called out, as the Crystal Saber appeared in Crystal Knight's hand.

"Charge!" the five of them roared as Crystal Knight immediately charged at Compacean.

"Try this!" Compacean sneered, before lunging with his claw. Crystal Knight easily blocked the claw, before pushing it away, causing Compacean to stumble back. Taking advantage of Compacean's lowered guard; Crystal Knight started slashing at the Shard Beast.

"Take this! And this and this!" Red roared, as Crystal Knight struck Compacean with the Crystal Saber for the fourth time, finishing with a stab, that sent the Shard Beast sprawling to the ground.

"Let's finish this while he's down!" Waffle said. "Right was the unanimous reply.

"Crystal Saber! Spectrum Strike!" they called out, as they brought their sabers down, as Crystal Knight executed its finisher.

The saber came down, but right before it struck, Compacean quickly turned around. The saber hit, but bounced off harmlessly against Compacean's shell.

"No way!" Alicia yelled when she saw what had just happened.

"That shell is just as strong, if not stronger than when he was in his normal size," Elh grunted, as they tried to steady their Gattai, which had been thrown off balance when the attack was deflected.

"Hahahaha! I told you my shell was impervious to your attacks!" Compacean laughed, conveniently forgetting how Waffle had managed to pierce his shell. "Now, my turn!" he added, before his entire body was seemingly sucked into his shell. The shell then started spinning, before flying towards Crystal Knight, impacting the Gattai several times. Hard.

"Uwaah!" The Crystalrangers cried out as Crystal Knight took a lot of damage from the attack.

"Darn it! We've gotta do something about that shell!" Red growled, as they steadied the Gattai.

"But the Crystal Saber couldn't even make a scratch on that shell," Mamoru said, gritting his teeth.

"If only we had something that could pierce that shell…" Elh said, just as her crystal started glowing. "Huh?" she said in surprise, as her crystal started feeding her new information. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Alicia asked curiously.

"The Spectrum Strike isn't our only finisher. We have another one that will do the trick," Elh explained, before grabbing hold of the handle on her Wisdom Staff. "Crystal Eagle, Striker Mode!" she called out, as Crystal Eagle flashed, and reappeared on the back of Crystal Knight's right arm.

(Insert battle theme: "Best of The Best of The Best" (Instrumental version) OST Power Rangers in Space)

"Woah! That's new!" Mamoru commented.

Elh nodded in response, as she tightened her grip on the console. "Alright, follow my lead!" she said.

"Eagle Striker!" Elh called out, pulling back he fist, as though she was about to throw a punch. The others followed her lead, pulling back their fists as well, causing Crystal Knight to follow their movement, as Crystal Eagle began to glow.

"Eagle Dynamic!" Elh called out, as the five of them threw a punch forward. Crystal Knight followed their movements, throwing forward a punch, as Crystal Eagle was sent flying towards Compacean, igniting with a blue fire along the way.

"You don't scare me!" Compacean declared arrogantly, before turning around to block with his shell again. The Eagle Dynamic barreled straight towards Compacean and hit his shell, going right through.

Having done its job, Crystal Eagle flew back to Crystal Knight, before re-attaching itself to the back of the Gattai.

"Grah-!" Compacean gasped as he was left with a gaping hole in his chest that went right through him. "I-Impossible!" He managed to groan out, before falling over and exploding. Down below, the Hermit Crab that had been used to make Compacean landed on the ground, before the Core Shard was ejected, and shattered.

(Theme End)

-JSCR-

The five Crystalrangers had went back to the port, and were about to enter the Asmodeus that was parked at the port.

"Hey!" Arzane's voice caught their attention. Turning back, they saw the four kids from the orphanage.

"Yes?" Elh asked.

"We just wanted to say thank you for saving us!" Arzane said with a big grin.

"Don't worry; your secrets are safe with us!" Charlotte added, much to the surprise of the Rangers.

"Good luck!" Albert added.

"Beat up those bad guys for us!" Biscotte finished, before the four of them headed back to the orphanage.

"They must have seen us when we were fighting in the battleship," Waffle mused.

"Though I'm not too thrilled about them knowing, I think we can trust them," Elh said, as they nodded in response.

"Okay, let's go-huh?" Red was about to say, when the ground started shaking violently.

"W-what's going on?" Chocolat asked, as she and Matoi got off the Asmodeus and joined the group.

"We don't know!" Mamoru yelled, as Matoi latched on to him in fear.

Suddenly, Zero appeared in front of them. "It can't be!" he said in surprise.

"Well tell us! What's going on?" Alicia demanded in panic as she and Waffle hugged each other, both very much afraid thanks to the unnatural earthquake.

"Something or someone is forcing open a dimension gate!" Zero answered, though he had a pretty good idea who was responsible. Suddenly, a large tear appeared in the sky, as a void opened, and out came a massive castle that looked like it was made out of purple crystal. Behind the castle, a massive circular gate appeared. A Dimension Gate.

Suddenly, a massive eye opened from the surface of the castle, as the pupil seemed to focus all around, before the castle started moving towards the Dimension Gate.

Zero saw the eye, and recognized it from the carvings that told of the legend of the Infinity Crystal. "That's the Demon Heart!" he exclaimed.

"Wait, what? That thing is what we're supposed to fight?" Mamoru asked in surprise, as the others gasped when they heard that.

Zero just nodded, as he whipped out his scanner and immediately locked on to the Demon Heart's signature, before relaying it to the computer aboard the Wanderer. Fortunately, the Wanderer had enough time to lock on and save the signal to its permanent database, just as the castle disappeared into the Dimension Gate, before the gate closed.

"_Now the real battle begins,_" Zero thought grimly, already having an idea about what was to come.

(Scene freezes, as the episode ends)

-JSCR-

(Ending theme: "Mirai Iro" by Plastic Trees. OST Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

_*music*_

As the music starts, we see shots of Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru (in this order), before the scene changes to show silhouettes of the five of them in Sentai form, with the shadow of Crystal Knight in the background.

_Hatenaki Sekai naraba kono Mune ni wa Akashi o_

We see a scene zooming out, revealing Red holding the Courage Sword, pointing it at the screen. He has his usual cocky expression on his face. Along his arm, a faded picture of Crystal Dragon is seen.

_Onaji Namidanuretara Bokura Waraiaou_

The scene then changes to another zoom out scene, with this one showing Elh with her back turned, as though walking away. On her skirt, a faded picture of Crystal Eagle is seen.

_Toki Hanattetta Genjitsu de kizamu Kodou ni Fureezu o_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Waffle who is seemingly doing a backward flip with a grin on his face, while pointing his Light Bow at the screen. On his leg, a faded picture of Crystal Wolf is seen.

_Kyoumei shiteku Kokoro ni Oto o tatete Saku Namae no nai Hana_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Alicia, who is seemingly doing a cart wheel, while pointing her Dark Whip at the screen, as though lashing out with it. On her pants, a faded picture of Crystal Lioness is seen.

_Osoroi no Ibasho Bokura Mitsukeru_

Another zoom out scene is shown, with this one showing Mamoru, who looks like he is about to leap out of the screen. On his uniform, a faded picture of Crystal Rhino is seen.

_Yume miruyou ni Mezamete Mirai madette Nobashita Te _

The scene changes to show Alicia who is holding her hand up, as though she is falling. Around her, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Stare (with her usual calm appearance), Flare (with her usual cheerful expression), Panta (looking determined as always), Princess Terria (with a gentle smile on her face), Cyan (with his usual confident smile), and Fool (looking like he is planning something). Most noticeable of all is a silver colored crystal with a faded picture of Beluga (with a stoic look on his face).

_Tsukamu hanasu Kurikaeshi Sagashite_

The scene slowly shifts up to show Waffle who is holding out his hand, as though trying to catch Alicia before she falls. Around him, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Opera (in her usual pose with her fan), Gren (dutifully standing with his arms crossed), Calua (with his usual big grin on his face), Merveille (smiling slightly), Chocolat (with her usual cheerful appearance), and Bruno (laughing insanely). Most noticeable of all is a gold colored crystal with a faded picture of Zero with his mask on.

_Omoi tsuiteku Iro de Kurayami datte nurikaenagara_

The five Infinity Crystals are seen circling each other, before a hand reaches out for them, causing them to scatter

_Kioku KIZUNA Kibou to Kasanetara_

The scene zooms out to reveal two figures standing in a forest bathed with golden light.

_Mirai Iro zutto Bokura wa egaiteku_

The two figures reveal to be Red and Elh, as both stand side by side, watching the source of the golden light with their hands intertwined. The scene then shifts to reveal the light to be coming from the shining silhouette of an unknown Gattai, as the Infinity Crystals are seen revolving around it.

Author's Note:

Finally finished. The Demon Heart has finally made its move. As such, the Crystalrangers' journey is about to begin. Stay tuned for the next episode.


	6. Beginning of an Adventure

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Zero, the infinity crystals, the Crystal Animals, and the monsters.

A/N: I might refer to the team as either "Sentai", "Super Sentai", "Crystalrangers", or even just "Rangers".

(Opening theme 2: "Butter-Fly" by Kouji Wada. OST Digimon Adventure)

_*music*_

As the music starts, each of the first five Infinity Crystals are seen falling through space (in order: red, blue, yellow, white, and black), before the title appears

_Gokigen__na__chou__ni__natte__kirameku__kaze__ni__notte_

The Infinity Crystals are seen falling like comets through space, as they break through the atmosphere

_Ima__sugu__kimi__ni__ai__ni__yukou_

The Infinity Crystals are shown landing in Little Tail Bronx, before the Demon Heart's eye is seen in the background, as the pupil focuses on the planet

_Yokei__na__koto__nante__wasureta__hou__ga__mashi__sa_

Red is seen catching the red Infinity Crystal, followed by a scene of Elh catching the blue Infinity Crystal, then Waffle catching the white Infinity Crystal, then Alicia catching the black Infinity, and finally Mamoru catching the yellow Infinity Crystal

_Kore__ijou__shareteru__jikan__w__anai_

The scene zooms out from Mamoru, to reveal the five Crystalrangers (in civilian form) together in what looks like a forest, as several random Shard Beast emerge, surrounding them

_Nani__ga wow wow__wow__wow__wow__kono__sora__ni__todoku no darou_

The five Crystal Braces are seen, as the crystals begin to glow brightly, signaling their activation

_Dakedo wow wow__wow__wow__wow__ashita no yotei__mo__wakaranai_

Red, Elh, Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia are seen being enveloped by the light of their respective crystals, before each of the Crystalrangers (in Sentai form) are seen one by one with their weapons ready and their respective Crystal Animals in the background (in this order: Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, Mamoru)

_Mugendai__na__yume no ato no nanimo__nai__yo no nakaja_

A mountain is seen exploding as Crystal Dragon breaks through it, before taking to the sky (Red is seen riding on its back). As Crystal Dragon ascends, Crystal Eagle flies past it and does some impressive aerial maneuvers (Elh is seen riding on its neck)

_Sou__sa__itoshii__omoi__momakesou__ni__naru__kedo_

A split screen shows Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness running through different sections of a forest, before both of them make it to a cliff and leap off, before the scene quickly freezes on the scene of them passing each other with the moon in the background (Waffle and Alicia are seen gazing at each other from their respective Crystal Animals' heads)

_Stay shigachi__na__imeeji__darake no tayorinai__tsubasa demo _

Crystal Rhino is seen bursting through a mountain (Mamoru is seen on its back), followed by a scene of Chocolat, Stare, Flare, Panta, and Matoi watching at a distance from atop the Wanderer

_Kitto__toberu__sa on my love_

Zero is seen standing on a field with his arms crossed, as the shadowed forms of three large mechas (not Gattais) are seen in the background.

_*music*_

Each of the Crystalrangers are seen launching their individual attacks, followed by the Crystal Blaster. The final scene shows the five Crystalrangers together (from left to right: Waffle, Mamoru, Red, Elh, and Alicia) in their civilian forms, with Crystal Knight standing in the background.

(Opening song finish)

-JSCR-

Episode 5: Beginning of an Adventure,the First World

_Somewhere within the Dimensional Veils_

Deep within the dimensional veils that separated the different dimensions, Castle Abyss flew through it, headed for the closest dimension it could find. The mood inside the viewing room was rather different compared to usual. Instead of the usual gloomy feel, it was actually quite enthusiastic. The reason for this was because for once, Fool and Bruno weren't busy arguing with each other (be it verbal, physical, or silent), as for once, one of their plans had worked.

"_Excellent work, my Generals! Now the first phase of our plan may commence!_" The Demon Heart said through its mental link with the two generals.

"Thank you my lord. Now that we've gathered enough energy to break through the dimensional barriers, we can begin seeding other worlds," Fool started.

"That's right! Once we enter the other worlds, we can begin harvesting negative energy from the natives, and once our crystals take root…" Bruno continued, laughing evilly along the way.

"_One by one, the worlds will fall into my hands, and before long, the entire universe will fall to me! Grahahahahaha!_" The Demon Heart laughed, already impatient to put its plan into motion.

Outside, Castle Abyss was busy breaking through another veil as it emerged above a new world, before it began descending upon the unsuspecting world, unseen to the natives, as space began bending around the castle.

-JSCR-

_Wanderer, Bridge_

Zero typed furiously on the console, as he scrambled from one machine to another, all the while checking on his portable scanner that had been connected to the main computer… and he had been like this for 5 days straight.

"Ummm… shouldn't we try to stop him?" Mamoru asked. The five of them had been staring at their mentor for the last 2 hours or so, wondering if he was going to stop or not. It had taken them a while, but the five of them finally managed to teleport back to the Wanderer, by tracking back the signals from their communicators.

"We can try. But do you really think we can get his attention?" Red said with a sweat drop.

"I think he's just worried about the Demon Heart," Elh said, as the others nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I can't believe that thing was our real enemy. It sure looked strong," Waffle agreed, remembering the castle that Zero had referred to as the Demon Heart.

The atmosphere was noticeably heavier, until… "Hey guys, 100 rings say he collapses once he finishes. Provided he doesn't starve himself to death first," Alicia snickered, defusing the tension, earning snickers from the rest of them, even from Elh and Waffle, who were trying and failing to avoid laughing.

"I'll see you to that bet. Actually, I'll even bet he's not even awake. I'll bet he's sleep-working" Red added, causing all of them to laugh, despite some of them trying to restrain themselves.

Several vein marks appeared on Zero's head when he heard them, with the vein markssomehow visible despite his mask. "If you five are done making fun of me, I'll have you know that I've been working non-stop for the last 5 days to track the Demon Heart," Zero said, actually sounding annoyed for a change, though he still continued working.

"We get that, but where could it have gone. I mean, we've had attacks in Sheppard, Prairie, and Nippon, so which region would it attack next?" Red said.

"Argh! You just don't get it do you!" Zero yelled, losing his composure, as the stress from continuously working for the last 5 days finally got to him. "If the Demon Heart was still in Little Tail Bronx, I wouldn't need to go through all this trouble. The problem is that portal we saw it go through was a Dimensional Portal."

"Meaning?" Mamoru asked.

"Meaning, that the Demon Heart is headed for another world," Zero sighed, regaining his composure, as his voice went back to the usual monotone voice.

"Other worlds? You mean it's going to attack those worlds like the one you said you're from?" Elh asked in alarm, as the others also had their eyes widen at hearing that.

"Yes. The reason why I've been working non-stop, is to upgrade my scanners to detect the Demon Heart, both outside this world, as well as outside this dimension if needs be," Zero explained.

"Outside this dimension?" Waffle asked, as the others also moved closer, now very curious.

"Well… I'm not too certain on the last one, but given that the scanners indicate that the dimensional portal used by the Demon Heart was relatively unstable, there is a good possibility that it will appear outside the current dimension," Zero explained, whilst going through the finalizing stage of the upgrades he was installing. It wasn't long before the finalizations were nearly completed. "Okay, just a little bit more… Done!" Zero said, as he removed his portable scanner from the console, flipped it open, and turned it on. "Okay, all systems normal. Upgrade complete. Finally… finished…" he said, before promptly collapsing.

The rangers blinked for a moment. "You owe me 100 rings, Red," Alicia said, as said hunter slapped his forehead at the lost bet, while the others face faulted.

"The guy collapses, and that's all she thinks about?" Elh sweat dropped.

-JSCR-

"So basically, you've been spending the last 5 days upgrading your equipment, so that we can locate and chase the Demon Heart, and if needs be, all the way to alternate dimensions?" Waffle asked, making sure they understood what Zero had been doing.

"Yes *munch* that's *slurp* correct *gulp*. In order *slurp* for us to succeed *munch munch munch* this is very much necessary," Zero confirmed, as he ravenously ate several packets of cup ramen.

"Wow, you sure have to go through a lot of trouble for us. Sorry we were making fun of you earlier," Alicia apologized, since she was the one who had started with her bet/insult.

"Meh, no worries," Zero said dismissively, as he downed his 10th cup.

"So, what's next?" Elh asked.

"I've already activated the scanners, so it's only a matter of time before we locate the Demon Heart. In the meantime, I've already had the ship synchronize all of our D-Gates to have this world as an anchor, so that we can easily come back anytime," Zero answered.

"That's good to hear. By the way, this stuff is great. Where did you get it?" Red said. The five of them had been eating some of the cup ramen that Zero had gotten out, since it just happened to be lunch time, though only Red had actually eaten any, as the other four had been too busy watching Zero eat at turbo speed.

"Not really important, but you can get cup ramen from nearly any world. Best part is, this stuff is nearly dirt cheap, but the taste is great," Zero replied, before looking towards Waffle, Elh, Alicia, and Mamoru. "You four should start eating soon, or the ramen is gonna get cold."

"Oh, right!" the four of them said, before quickly digging in, earning a laugh from Red, and a small chuckle from Zero.

"_Why is it that I'm more emotional whenever I'm around them?_" Zero thought slightly, remembering how he had always shown little to no emotion for the last 10 years or so since that 'incident', before quickly deciding that it didn't matter.

-JSCR-

_Golden Roar, 3 hours later_

"Other worlds?"Merveille asked, while Opera, Calua, Matoi, Chocolat, even Gren and Beluga moved closer to listen. After the Crystalrangers had returned from the Wanderer, they had told them about why Zero hadn't spoken, nor even appeared once for the last 5 days.

"Yup, that's right. He also said something about upgrading both the Golden Roar, as well as the Asmodeus, though I have no idea how he plans on doing that without coming here," Red said.

"Hmmm. That explains the programs that just suddenly appeared on our computers," Merveille said. Earlier, the computers onboard the Golden Roar had suddenly started working on their own. When she had tried to check on the computers, what she found was a number of programs and data that hadn't been there before.

"What programs?" Elh asked.

"It looks like when Zero connected the computers here with computers on his ship, it also gave him access to directly download his upgrades as well," Beluga answered.

"Though, if you see Zero again, please tell him to inform us before downloading anything," Merveille added.

"Sure. Speaking of which, shouldn't we have heard of him some time ago?" Waffle said, realizing it had already been a few hours since Zero had told them to wait. Just as he said that, their communicators went off.

"Sometimes I think he spies on us, just for these moments," Alicia commented, as the others sweat dropped again at Zero's timing which always seemed to make the situation ironic ('speak of the devil' moments).

"What is it, Zero?" Mamoru said, answering his communicator.

"Everyone, the scanners have located the Demon Heart. Just as I feared, it's in a world outside this dimension," Zero said.

"Alright, let's go after it!" exclaimed Red.

"Excuse me for the interruption, but I must say that I find the idea of travelling to another world quite intriguing," Merveille suddenly said. "Would it be alright if some of us came along?"

"Hmmm. While there shouldn't be any problems, there is the fact that we will have to deal with the Demon Heart. Also, some worlds may be particularly hostile, so it can be potentially dangerous," Zero answered.

"Not a problem, Zero darling. After all, we Kurvaz aren't the largest hunter guild for nothing," Opera said.

Zero seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Alright, but for now, I will only tolerate a maximum of 5 people other than the Crystalrangers. Depending on how well things go, I may allow more in the future. Also, for now we will be using my ship, as I must still test the stability of the systems on both the Asmodeus, as well as the Golden Roar," Zero said with a tone of finality, showing that he was not open for argument.

"Very well, we can agree to your terms," Merveille nodded.

"Good. I'll give you 10 minutes to decide who will go. Contact me when you've come to an agreement, or I'll teleport the Rangers, without anyone else," Zero affirmed, before ending the transmission.

"Well, you heard the man. So who wants to come along with us?" Mamoru asked.

"Well, since Ms. Merveille was the one who suggested it, why not bring her along," Matoi suggested.

"Why thank you for the offer. I accept," Merveille smiled.

"Okay, so that's one. Anyone else?" Waffle asked.

"If that's the case, I will come along as well," Beluga quickly said.

"Why am I not surprised?" Elh muttered, as she, Red, and Chocolat all had a sweat drop on their heads.

"Well, this sounds interesting, so I think I'll come along," Opera said.

"Well, if Opera is coming along, then…" Red was about to say, but was beaten to it when…

"If Lady Opera is going, then we'll come along too," Calua and Gren both said.

"Right, so that's five people," Alicia said, as she opened her communicator. "Zero, we've got all five people. We're ready to go."

"Understood. Prepare for transfer in 5…4…3…2…1…Transfer commence!" Zero said, as the 10 of them were teleported up to the Wanderer.

-JSCR-

_The Wanderer, Teleportation chamber_

"Well that was… odd," Merveille commented, as she, Beluga, Opera, Calua, and Grentried to steady themselves from the sudden teleportation.

"It's all a matter of getting used to really," Zero said, as he walked into the room. "Either way, welcome to the Wanderer."

"Dude, do you always greet people with that creepy voice?" Calua asked, as Zero had once again said his greetings with a monotone voice, which was anything but welcoming.

"… Come along, the bridge is this way," Zero said, ignoring Calua's question, as he led them to the bridge.

-JSCR-

_Wanderer, Bridge_

"This certainly is a fascinating ship you have here," Merveille commented, as she looked at the schematics for the Wanderer on the screen (A/N: if anyone is wondering, the Wanderer basically looks like a smaller (maybe about 1 and a half times the size of the Royal Envy), black version of the Arc Gurren from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, minus the face), and was impressed by what she was seeing.

"Thank you. A colleague of mine designed this ship, and had it constructed using technology from various worlds. It took 3 years and a massive amount of resources to build this ship," Zero nodded, as he hooked up his scanner to the monitor. In response to this, the monitor then changed to show a 'World Map' of Dimensional Veils.

"Gather around everyone, so I can explain the situation," Zero said, as they obeyed. "Currently, we are here, in our dimension, as all of our worlds happen to be in the same dimension, but in different universes," he explained, bringing up a map of the local known universes. "And the Demon Heart is currently outside this dimension," he pointed towards a location outside the map, which was blank, save for a blinking light to show the Demon Heart's location.

"Wow, that certainly looks far," Mamoru commented, as the others all nodded.

"It is. If it weren't for the Dimension Gate system, it would take at least 300 years to reach other dimensions. In fact, had I not used my D-Gate, it would have probably taken me 20 years just to get to Little Tail Bronx," Zero nodded.

"Hmmm, judging by the fact that the map is blank, I'd say the dimension we are going to is uncharted," Beluga said.

"That is correct. However, I already have a solution. As of now, I've set Little Tail Bronx as an 'anchor' for our D-Gates. That way, by default all jumps done outside of Little Tail Bronx will automatically send us back here," Zero explained.

"Alright then, let's go!" Red said with a grin.

"Preparations have already been completed, but first, the ten of you need to take a seat first," Zero said, as 11 chairs materialized on the bridge. "A jump that crosses dimensions has to be done at a speed that makes standing up not an option."

They all quickly took a seat, as they were strapped in. "Coordinates have been entered. Dimension Thrusters are fully charged. D-Gate is operational. Jumping in 3… 2… 1… Activate!" Zero said, as the Wanderer began moving forward, gradually picking up speed. A portal appeared in front of the Wanderer, and with a sudden jerk, the ship took off at a blinding speed into the portal. Inside, all of them jerked back in their seats as the force pressed against them. Outside, the multi-colored tunnel was truly a sight to behold, as colors swirled around. Too bad they were not in any mood to appreciate it.

The trip took only about 50 minutes, but it felt like an eternity to the passengers (except Zero, as he was already used to it). Once the ship reached the end of the tunnel, it slowed down, easing the entry into a new dimension. As the ship stabilized, the straps that kept the passengers in place loosened, before retracting back into the seats. The 10 of them immediately got up, before they ran for the nearest bathrooms they could find.

"Here we go again…" Zero sighed, remembering the last times he had passengers who weren't used to warp speed travel. It wasn't long before the sound of them emptying their stomachs could be heard.

-JSCR-

"Here, take these pills. They're special medicine for treating the motion sickness brought on by warp speed flight," Zero said, earning a 'thanks' from all of them. After downing the pills, all feeling of nausea immediately left them, as the effects took hold.

"It seems we have successfully arrived in this new dimension," Merveille said.

"And lost our lunch in the process," Red added, not amused at that particular fact.

"I apologize for that, but I didn't have time to put you through astronaut training, so I had to make due," Zero said, before turning to the monitors. "First things first, we should scan for…" he never got a chance to finish, as the moment he activated his scanner, the alarms went off. "Shard Beast confirmed!"

"What? Already?" Waffle asked, as he and his teammates groaned. They had hoped that they would at least get a chance to take it easy after the jump, but it looked like the Demon Heart worked fast.

"I suppose it can't be helped," Elh sighed.

"Elh's right. Come on everyone, time for work," Red sighed, as they all nodded in agreement.

"Don't forget about us! We didn't come all this way to get left out!" Calua said, as his usual grin returned.

"Actually, I think only the Crystalrangers should go for now," Zero said.

"Why is that?" Gren asked.

"Because my scanners show that only humans inhabit the world below, so you guys appearing could cause panic amongst the people. Also, this world seems to not have even begun to develop what we would consider modern technology," Zero stated.

"I see what you are saying," Merveille nodded. "If we were to appear with our machines, not only would it cause panic, it could damage the natural history of this world."

"Well, more than what the Demon Heart has already done. Since this world seems to still be in the time before science and technology, where most unexplained things were attributed to magic (whether this world really has true magic or not remains to be seen), they **might** think your robots are golems that you conjured up. At the very least, you five wait first. You'll get a shot at the Demon Heart soon enough," Zero said.

"Alright then Zero darling, we understand," Opera nodded.

"I thank you for that," Zero said.

"Don't worry about us. We'll deal with this Shard Beast just like we did with the last four of them," Red said, as the five of them stepped forward. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Waffle, Alicia, Elh, and Mamoru, replied.

"Crystal Access!" they called out, transforming into their Super Sentai forms, before teleporting to the coordinates that Zero had sent them.

-JSCR-

_On the planet below,Ancient Henan Province of China, Forest near Nan Yiang_

"Remind me again why we're searching through this forest," a voice asked. The voiced belonged to a teenage boy with glasses and black hair that was tied into a pony tail. He wore fine clothes that showed someone from a wealthy family.

"Because Master Sanzang ordered us to search the area. We're supposed to see if we can find any traces of the so-called 'Crystal Demons' that have been attacking nearby villages," was the reply. The reply came from another teenage boy, roughly the same age as the first. He had short brown hair, which was kept in a short fashion. His clothes, unlike the first, consisted of a simple shirt and pants, which were old and worn-out, suggesting that he was from a poor family.

"As if Heihu wasn't enough, now there are more demons appearing," sighed a third voice. The voice belonged to a teenage girl with dark blue hair, which was styled into two pigtails. She wore a simple outfit of a top and pants, which were neither as fine as the first boy's, nor as old as the second boy's, showing that she could be considered from a middle class.

"I'll have to agree with Hua. We have enough problems dealing with one demon, let alone more of them," the first boy, Tang, sighed tiredly, while the second boy, Cheng, and the girl, Hua, nodded in agreement.

While the three of them didn't look like it, they were actually students of the Shaolin Temple, and not just any students. 1000 years ago, their home had been ravaged by a powerful demon, Heihu. At that time, 3 Shaolin knights fought against Heihu, and managed to seal him. However, after 1000 years, Heihu managed to escape, and began plotting world domination again. In order to achieve his goal, Heihu set out to find the two mystical Books of Wisdom, and managed to steal the first book. In response to this, the grandmaster of Shaolin, Master Sanzang, set out to find the three reincarnations of the knights that defeated Hiehu: Tang, Cheng, and Hua. As a result, the three of them were being groomed to one day be able to defeat Hiehu, but at the meantime, they had a more important mission, which was preventing Heihu from finding the second book.

The three of them had been walking for a while, until Hua noticed something on one of the trees. "Hey, what's this?" she said, as they took a closer look. On the tree, was a claw mark.

"Probably just some animal that went through here," Tang commented, until he also took a closer look at the claw marks, which had small crystal fragments embedded in it.

"Unless animals have crystals for claws, I doubt that's the work of a regular animal," Cheng said.

"You'd be right about that!" a voice suddenly said, before a squad of Frags jumped out of the bushes and from behind the trees, surrounding the three of them.

"Was this all a trap?" Hua asked to no one in particular, as the three of them pulled out their weapons. Hua pulled out a whip from her sleeve, Tang unsheathed his family's sword, and Cheng pulled out his bo staff, which could open up into a sanjiegun (a type of nunchaku, only with three parts).

"Not really, but with you three out of the way, this world will quickly fall into despair, and be a perfect feeding ground for our master! Grahahahaha!" the voice laughed insanely, as a figure stepped into their view. The figure looked like a humanoid tiger, covered in black armor. On its shoulders, were purple crystal protrusions that acted as shoulder blades, while the lower legs and feet remained uncovered, revealing hind paws that had morphed into a cross of a human foot and a tiger's foot. On both its arms were clawed gauntlets that had three wicked looking claws each. The head was mostly uncovered, save for the red visor that covered the eyes, while the mouth remained uncovered, showing off a maw of razor sharp teeth.

"Your master? You mean Hiehu had other demons under his command?" Cheng said in disbelief.

"Heihu? Hah! Once my master has fully awakened, that pathetic excuse of a demon will grovel at my master's feet! I am Tigrerius a mighty Shard Beast, and servant of the master of all evil!" The Shard Beast, now identified as Tigrerius, roared.

"Not to mention the loudest Shard Beast we've had to deal with so far!" came the voice of CrystalBlack, before five beams of light started flying around and collided with several of the Frags, causing sparks to fly.

"W-What's going on?" Hua asked in surprise at seeing the five beams of red, blue, yellow, white, and black lights attack the 'demons' that had surrounded them. The lights then flew towards a nearby spot, and landed, before revealing themselves to be the five Crystalrangers.

"What? No! It can't be you!" Tigrerius roared in disbelief and a little fear.

"Heh, well too bad for you, we're here and ready to kick your sorry tail!" CrystalRed smirked, as the five of them pulled out their weapons and charged at the still dazed squad of Frags.

Back with the three teens, they had taken advantage of the situation, and hid behind some bushes. "Will someone please tell me what is going on," Cheng groaned, as the situation had gone from a relatively 'normal' day, to a downright strange day.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Hua shrugged, while Tang took a look at the situation closely.

"Well, that tiger demon, the one that called itself Tigrerius, doesn't seem to be aligned with those five, since it's obviously enemies with them," Tang said, as they watched the Crystalrangers plow through the Frags easily.

"True, but what do you think about those five? They don't look human," Cheng said, noting how the strange helmets they wore, looked a lot like dogs and cats.

"We can't be sure of that, but I can tell for sure that these five have to be sorcerers," Tang answered, as the five Crystalrangers launched their individual energy attacks at a whole line of Frags, shattering all of them.

"Those crystal demons don't seem that strong. They broke too easily. Maybe they're just the grunts that someone is controlling," Hua added, as the three of them continued to watch.

"It could be. My guess is that that tiger demon is the one controlling them," Tang nodded, as CrystalBlack pulverized any remaining Frags with her whip.

"Well, let's just wait and see," Cheng said, as they continued to watch.

(Back to the fight…)

"Courage Sword!"

"Wisdom Staff!"

"Light Bow!"

The three of them called out, as their attacks struck Tigrerius directly on the chest, sending him tumbling back.

"Time to end this!"CrystalRed called out, as the five of them stood together.

"Assemble!" they called out as they put their weapons together. The Light Bow was attached on top of the Courage Sword's barrel, followed by the Wisdom Staff, which was split into two halves, before being attached to the two edges of The Light Bow. Following this, the Hope Shield was attached on top of the Light Bow, locking it into place. The finishing touch was the Dark Whip, which was placed under the Courage Sword's barrel.

"Crystal Blaster!" they called out, leveling the weapon. "Prism Wave!"

The beam was fired, and headed straight for Tigrerius. However, Tigrerius had one more trick up his sleeve. "Not gonna happen!" Tigrerius roared, as the claws on his left arm suddenly began pulsing. Immediately, he slashed at the air in front of him, causing a rip to appear in the air, revealing what looked like a vortex inside of it, causing the Prism Wave to be absorbed into the vortex.

"No way!" the five of them exclaimed, as the vortex closed, leaving Tigrerius unharmed.

"Hahaha! How do you like that? You can't beat me if you can't touch me!" Tigrerius laughed.

"What's the catch?" came Zero's voice, as he was suddenly standing on a tree branch not far from them.

"Zero?" the five of them blinked in surprise.

"Catch? What catch?" Tigrerius demanded.

"Don't play dumb. The ability to rip open spacial voids without any aid? Those kinds of powers always have a price," Zero stated. "So, what's yours?"

"Hah! I don't know what you're talking about!" Tigrerius shot back, just as the claws on his left arm turned grey and broke off.

"So that's it, huh? You can block any attack, but you lose your claws immediately after. So that's your price!" Zero pointed out.

"Alright! Thanks for the tip, Zero!" CrystalWhite said, as the five of them readied the Crystal Blaster again.

"One more time! Prism Wave!" they called out, as the Prism Wave was fired again.

"D-Damn it!"Tigrerius growled, before his right claw pulsed, as he sliced at the space beneath him, and quickly jumped into the vortex, causing the Prism Wave to hit the tree that was behind him, completely destroying the tree.

"Oookay. The Shard Beast got away, and hopefully we won't be fined for destruction of nature," CrystalRed said, as all of them (including Zero) sweat dropped.

"… I suggest we go back," Zero said, breaking the silence.

"What about those humans we saw earlier?" CrystalYellow asked.

"They were able to slip away during the fight. Besides, they are not our biggest concern at the moment," Zero answered.

"Okay then, let's get out of here," CrystalBlack said, as they teleported back to the Wanderer.

"Okay, what just happened?" Cheng asked, as the three of them stepped out of the bushes they were hiding in.

"Well, first we get ambushed by a bunch of crystal demons, then a group of sorcerers in colorful clothes appear, beat most of the crystal demons, and use a strange weapon to finish off the last one, only for it to run away," Tang said, not really sure what else to say.

"Either way, we need to tell Master Sanzang," Hua stated. The three of them nodded to each other, before heading back to the Shaolin Temple.

-JSCR-

_Later, The Wanderer, Bridge…_

"So the Shard Beast managed to escape?" Merveille asked, as Elh had finished telling them about what had happened

"It would appear that this one has a most troublesome ability," Gren commented, referring to the Shard Beast's ability to rip open portals.

"Zero did say that they managed to make it use its power twice. Maybe with the loss of all its claws, the Shard Beast won't be able to run next time," Beluga said.

"That would be nice, but let's be pessimistic on this one, and assume that its claws can grow back," Zero stated.

"Do you always have to be such a downer, dude?" Calua sighed.

"Optimism is good for keeping up hope, but sometimes pessimism is necessary to keep one alive," Zero simply stated.

"Well, it still doesn't change the fact that that Shard Beast is still out there. We should find it as soon as possible," Mamoru said.

"That's true. Alright everyone, next time we'll take out that Shard Beast for sure!" Red said to his team.

"Right!" they all nodded in response.

Zero cracked a small smile under his mask. "_Their resolves are getting stronger. That's good,_" Zero thought. "Well, the scanners aren't picking up any Shard Beast activity, and since we're here, why don't we explore this world for a bit," Zero suggested.

"Huh? Did Zero just suggest we take a break?" Waffle asked in surprise.

"Yeah, he just did. Who are you, and what have you done to Zero?" Red half-joked, earning a laugh from all of them.

"Very funny. I'm serious though. We might as well explore a little, and don't worry about blending in or about funds. I've got that all taken care of," Zero said.

"How do you intend for us to blend in? You said it yourself, that there are only humans here," Elh stated, somewhat surprised.

"Like I said, I've got it covered," Zero stated, as he tossed a card to each of them.

The moment each of them caught the cards, the cards glowed, before each of them was enveloped in a multi-colored field of energy.

"What just happened?" Mamoru asked, once the fields subsided.

"This might clear things out," Zero said, as he held out a large mirror for all of them to see themselves.

When they got a good look, their jaws hit the floor out of sheer surprise. Instead of a group of Caninu and Felineko, what they saw in the mirror, was a group of humans.

Red looked a lot like he did when he was using Trance, only his hair didn't go through a sudden growth, nor did his eyes change from blue to purple. And his clothes remained the same they were before he transformed (though the opening for the tail was gone).

Elh looked more or less the same, except her fur, ears, and tail had disappeared, while her face had changed to that of a human, withlightly tanned skin. Aside from that, her hair, eyes, clothes, and markings remained the same.

Waffle had turned into a human with light coloredskin, which was a similar shade to his fur. Like with the others, his fur, ears, and tail had disappeared, while his face had changed from a dog's face to a human's face. Also, his hair, clothes, and eyes remained the same as when he was a Caninu.

Alicia's human form was that of an admittedly attractive female. She had tanned skin, which was slightly darker than Elh's skin, while her hair, eyes, and clothes remained the same.

Mamoru's human, like the others, only consisted of a loss of his fur, ears, and tail, with his face morphing into a human's face. His skin was fair, while his eyes, hair, and clothes also remained the same.

Merveille's human form, like the others, only consisted of a loss of her fur, ears, and tail, while her face changed into a human's face. She had light, almost pale, colored skin, while her hair, eyes, and clothes remained the same, down to her glasses.

Calua's human form didn't look very different than his normal form, as his skin was actually the same color as his fur. As usual, he lost his ears, fur, and tail, though his face seemed more or less unchanged, just as his clothes, hair, and eyes remained the same (A/N: I have to admit, I always thought that Calua was one of the most human-like characters in the game, along with Elh, Beluga, and to a certain extent, Chocolat).

Gren's human form, like the others, was simply the loss of his fur, ears, and tail, with his face changing into a human's face. His skin was relatively light in color, though it seemed slightly tanned on some parts. Like the others, his hair, eyes, and clothes remained the same.

Opera's human form was one that would make heads turn, as her human form was by far the most attractive looking, with her shape and her skin that was tanned in such a way that it made her look almost exotic. Like the others, she lost her fur, ears, and tail, while her clothes, eyes, and hair remained the same.

(A/N: if anyone is wondering, Red, Elh, Beluga, Waffle, Alicia, and Merveille look more or less European; while Opera, Calua, Gren, and Mamoru look Asian)

"What the-? What did you do to us?" Alicia demanded when the shock passed.

"Spell card: Adaptation, type 2: Appearance. I basically modified your forms into that of humans, so that we can avoid any unwanted attention," Zero simply explained. "The card uses your original bodies as a template to create your disguises, so you could say that this is how you all would have looked like if you had been born as humans."

"This sure feels strange though," Waffle commented, as he was busy getting used to his new body.

"At least we don't have to worry about people knowing we're from a different world, so we might as well make the best of it," Red said, as he was already quite used to having a human body, thanks to all the times he had used Trance. The rest of the day was spent getting used to their new bodies.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile, Shaolin Temple…_

"Master Sanzang! Master Sanzang!" Hua called out, as the three Wuzangs ran into the armory, where they had been told that the grandmaster currently was. Hearing her call, the grandmaster, Master Sanzang, walked out of the armory. He was an elderly wise man with a long white beard and moustache (and eyebrows), dressed in a yellow monk's robe, which was partially covered by a red cloak. Despite his advanced age, he was still very much strong and healthy, even if not to the extent of his youth, showing that he wasn't about to drop anytime soon.

"What's the matter, Hua? Is something troubling the three of you?" Sanzang asked, noticing the troubled look on the faces of his three students.

"You could say that," Tang panted, as the three of them were busy catching their breaths.

The three of them told Master Sanzang what they had seen. Once they were done, Sanzang sat down in contemplation.

"Hmm, this is truly troubling. An army of Crystal Demons who serve a master that could make even Heihu grovel in fear. A most frightening thought," Sanzang said.

"Don't forget the sorcerers that fought the demons. They may have fought them, but we can't be too sure whose side they're on," Tang added.

Sanzang nodded in response. "Certainly a strange group of sorcerers. A swordsman that uses a red sword of power, a sorceress that uses a staff both for her spells, as well as a weapon, a defender who uses a shield that absorbs any blow, an archer with arrows of pure light, and a rogue with a black whip of pure darkness."

"There's also that man in the black cloak we saw earlier. If it weren't for his voice, I'd swear he looked a lot like Heihu," Cheng commented, earning nods from all of them.

"Regardless, we know too little about them. If these crystal demons are trying to revive their master, then they will surely strike again. Until then, we can do nothing," Sanzang said, ending the discussion.

"Alright. We'll just have to wait for now," Hua nodded, as the three of them left the room.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountains..._

Deep within his lair, Heihu listened to a report from one of his servants, the Black Foxes. Heihu was an ancient demon that had once ravaged the land, but had been defeated and sealed away by 3 Shaolin monks. However, he had managed to escape after many centuries. His current appearance was that of a figure dressed in a black cloak/cape, with a large black travelling hat, and what looked like a faceless mask, which was actually his face, which only revealed his glowing yellow eyes. Underneath his cloak, his body was dressed in what looked like a purple body suit, which revealed the body to be female, as Heihu had possesed an unfortunate woman that had happened to be nearby when he had escaped from his seal. "Interesting. So there is someone proclaiming themselves to be greater than I?"

"That's correct boss," the Black Fox said.

"Well then, I believe I should set them straight, on who is the true evil master," Heihu said, as his face turned green and grotesque, signifying his anger. "I want all of you to look out for any sign of these creatures that this 'Master of All Evil' commands. When you find them, call for me, so that I can send a 'message' to their master, with their corpse!"

"R-right away boss!" all the Black Foxes present said in fear, before heading out.

"What fool dares to challenge the great Heihu?" Heihu asked rethorically, before going back to reading his prize: the first book of wisdom.

_Meanwhile, Castle Abyss…_

"Whaaaat?" Bruno roared when Tigrerius reported back. "I don't believe it! We go to a whole different world, and still those meddlers chase us!"

"How in the world did they follow us all the way here? I thought for sure we would have lost them once we left our world behind," Fool said, in a rare fit of anger, as electricity crackled and sparked from his cane.

"_Truly a troubling development. However, this does not change the fact that our plan is already underway. For now, we will continue to gather the necessary negative energy for our Root Gems,_" The Demon Heart stated.

"Understood. Once my claws grow back, I shall immediately begin harvesting once more," Tigrerius nodded as he left the room.

"_So they chase us all the way to this world as well. Truly our opponents are relentless,_" the Demon Heart mused. "_No matter, I have waited for many millenias for this. A few minor setbacks can easily be dealt with,_" it mused, before laughing a laugh that chilled the soul. Truly, the Demon Heart was more than ready to 'play' this game, and the more pieces, the more interesting it would be.

-JSCR-

_Back on the Wanderer..._

Zero suddenly turned his head towards the screen, as a faint glow could be seen from underneath his mask.

"Is something wrong, Zero?" Elh politely asked, as she and the others were in the middle of trying out outfits they would use to blend in with the natives, as well as weapons they would use to defend themselves with, as none of them would be allowed to use their robots (unless absolutely necessary), and while she and her team were outside of their Sentai forms.

Zero kept quiet for a moment, before turning and addressing all of them. "Everyone, be on guard during this mission. I've got a bad feeling about this," Zero said omminously, as he absently rubbed the side of his mask, over where his right eye was, as the glow subsided, but the feeling he got didn't.

(Scene freezes, as the episode ends)

-JSCR-

(Ending theme: "Mirai Iro" by Plastic Trees. OST Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

_*music*_

As the music starts, we see shots of Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru (in this order), before the scene changes to show silhouettes of the five of them in Sentai form, with the shadow of Crystal Knight in the background.

_Hatenaki__Sekai__naraba__kono__Mune__niwa Akashi o_

We see a scene zooming out, revealing Red holding the Courage Sword, pointing it at the screen. He has his usual cocky expression on his face. Along his arm, a faded picture of Crystal Dragon is seen.

_Onaji__Namidanuretara__Bokura__Waraiaou_

The scene then changes to another zoom out scene, with this one showing Elh with her back turned, as though walking away. On her skirt, a faded picture of Crystal Eagle is seen.

_Toki Hanattetta__Genjitsu de kizamu__Kodou__ni__Fureezu o_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Waffle who is seemingly doing a backward flip with a grin on his face, while pointing his Light Bow at the screen. On his leg, a faded picture of Crystal Wolf is seen.

_Kyoumei__shiteku__Kokoro__ni__Oto o tatete__Saku__Namae no nai Hana_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Alicia, who is seemingly doing a cart wheel, while pointing her Dark Whip at the screen, as though lashing out with it. On her pants, a faded picture of Crystal Lioness is seen.

_Osoroi no Ibasho__Bokura__Mitsukeru_

Another zoom out scene is shown, with this one showing Mamoru, who looks like he is about to leap out of the screen. On his uniform, a faded picture of Crystal Rhino is seen.

_Yume miruyou__ni__Mezamete__Mirai__madette__Nobashita__Te_

The scene changes to show Alicia who is holding her hand up, as though she is falling. Around her, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Stare (with her usual calm appearance), Flare (with her usual cheerful expression), Panta (looking determined as always), Matoi (with a happy smile on her face), Princess Terria (with a gentle smile on her face), Cyan (with his usual confident smile), and Fool (looking like he is planning something). Most noticeable of all is a silver colored crystal with a faded picture of Beluga (with a stoic look on his face).

_Tsukamu__hanasu__Kurikaeshi__Sagashite_

The scene slowly shifts up to show Waffle who is holding out his hand, as though trying to catch Alicia before she falls. Around him, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Opera (in her usual pose with her fan), Gren (dutifully standing with his arms crossed), Calua (with his usual big grin on his face), Merveille (smiling slightly), Chocolat (with her usual cheerful appearance), and Bruno (laughing insanely). Most noticeable of all is a gold colored crystal with a faded picture of Zero with his mask on.

_Omoi__tsuiteku__Iro de Kurayami__dat__t__e__nurikaenagara_

The five Infinity Crystals are seen circling each other, before a hand reaches out for them, causing them to scatter

_Kioku KIZUNA Kibou to Kasanetara_

The scene zooms out to reveal two figures standing in a forest bathed with golden light.

_Mirai__Iro__zutto__Bokurawa__egaiteku_

The two figures reveal to be Red and Elh, as both stand side by side, watching the source of the golden light with their hands intertwined. The scene then shifts to reveal the light to be coming from the shining silhouette of an unknown Gattai, as the Infinity Crystals are seen revolving around it.

-JSCR-

Author's note:

Done with this episode. I decided on ending the episode slightly differently for a change (the monster of the week isn't dead yet). Also, starting now, everytime the episodes are set in different worlds, I will explain a little about the series that the world and characters originate from.

The current world is set in China, from a series called "Shaolin Wuzang". The series basically tells the story of three teens: a servant girl named Hua, a peasant boy named Cheng, and a noble (if being the son of the governor counts as being nobility) named Tang, who are reincarnations of three Shaolin monks that managed to defeat the antagonist of the series, Heihu, about 1000 years before the start of the series. The three of them are guided by the wise grandmaster of Shaolin, Master Sanzang, as they learn the ways of Shaolin, so that they may one day defeat Heihu, like how their past lives did.


	7. Encounter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Zero, the infinity crystals, the Crystal Animals, and the monsters.

A/N: I might refer to the team as either "Sentai", "Super Sentai", "Crystalrangers", or even just "Rangers".

(Opening theme 2: "Butter-Fly" by Kouji Wada. OST Digimon Adventure)

_*music*_

As the music starts, each of the first five Infinity Crystals are seen falling through space (in order: red, blue, yellow, white, and black), before the title appears

_Gokigen__na__chou__ni__natte__kirameku__kaze__ni__notte_

The Infinity Crystals are seen falling like comets through space, as they break through the atmosphere

_Ima__sugu__kimi__ni__ai__ni__yukou_

The Infinity Crystals are shown landing in Little Tail Bronx, before the Demon Heart's eye is seen in the background, as the pupil focuses on the planet

_Yokei__na__koto__nante__wasureta__hou__ga__mashi__sa_

Red is seen catching the red Infinity Crystal, followed by a scene of Elh catching the blue Infinity Crystal, then Waffle catching the white Infinity Crystal, then Alicia catching the black Infinity, and finally Mamoru catching the yellow Infinity Crystal

_Kore__ijou__shareteru__jikan__w__anai_

The scene zooms out from Mamoru, to reveal the five Crystalrangers (in civilian form) together in what looks like a forest, as several random Shard Beast emerge, surrounding them

_Nani__ga wow wow__wow__wow__wow__kono__sora__ni__todoku no darou_

The five Crystal Braces are seen, as the crystals begin to glow brightly, signaling their activation

_Dakedo wow wow__wow__wow__wow__ashita no yotei__mo__wakaranai_

Red, Elh, Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia are seen being enveloped by the light of their respective crystals, before each of the Crystalrangers (in Sentai form) are seen one by one with their weapons ready and their respective Crystal Animals in the background (in this order: Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, Mamoru)

_Mugendai__na__yume no ato no nanimo__nai__yo no nakaja_

A mountain is seen exploding as Crystal Dragon breaks through it, before taking to the sky (Red is seen riding on its back). As Crystal Dragon ascends, Crystal Eagle flies past it and does some impressive aerial maneuvers (Elh is seen riding on its neck)

_Sou__sa__itoshii__omoi__momakesou__ni__naru__kedo_

A split screen shows Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness running through different sections of a forest, before both of them make it to a cliff and leap off, before the scene quickly freezes on the scene of them passing each other with the moon in the background (Waffle and Alicia are seen gazing at each other from their respective Crystal Animals' heads)

_Stay shigachi__na__imeeji__darake no tayorinai__tsubasa demo _

Crystal Rhino is seen bursting through a mountain (Mamoru is seen on its back), followed by a scene of Chocolat, Stare, Flare, Panta, and Matoi watching at a distance from atop the Wanderer

_Kitto__toberu__sa on my love_

Zero is seen standing on a field with his arms crossed, as the shadowed forms of three large mechas (not Gattais) are seen in the background.

_*music*_

Each of the Crystalrangers are seen launching their individual attacks, followed by the Crystal Blaster. The final scene shows the five Crystalrangers together (from left to right: Waffle, Mamoru, Red, Elh, and Alicia) in their civilian forms, with Crystal Knight standing in the background.

(Opening song finish)

-JSCR-

Episode 6: Encounter! Wuzangs and Sentai!

_The Wanderer, Bridge_

It had been a week since their arrival in this world, and so far no Shard Beasts had showed up on the scanners, though there had been a few Frags that had attacked the random villages. All of which were quickly dealt with by the Crystalrangers, with a little help from Calua, Gren, and Beluga.

"_It's peaceful. Too peaceful,_" Zero thought, as he continued to monitor the screens, both to monitor for any Shard Beast activity, as well as keep an eye on his team.

"Any changes so far?" Merveille asked, as she and Beluga entered the bridge, both of them in their native forms.

"Nothing yet so far. It looks like the enemy is laying low for now, and that worries me," Zero stated.

Beluga nodded at that. "Yes, we have been here for a week already, yet our enemies have not made any significant moves other than their first attack. What could they possibly intend to achieve from sending only Frags?" he pondered.

"Almost nothing. Even if it were to collect battle data on us, they won't be able to get anything significant, since it doesn't require much to beat Frags," Zero replied.

"Whatever they are planning, we will just have to deal with it as it comes," Merveille sighed, before deciding to change the subject. "So how are Red and the others doing?"

"Well… Waffle and Alicia have split up from the group for some reason. Both of them are in the forest that is a significant distance from any city, though they seem to be close to a few villages. As for Red and the others, they are currently in the capital city of the area," Zero stated.

"Split up? Doesn't sound like a good idea, considering we are on an alien world," Beluga commented.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. They can take care of themselves thanks to their crystals as well as the training I gave them, and I did place trackers on them just in case," Zero said, before turning back to the screen. A week ago, after they had arrived on this world, Zero had put the team through a special training simulation that made time feel much faster than it really was, as hours turned into days in the simulation. During the time, each of them had trained in a weapon of their choice. The Crystalrangers each practiced the styles of the weapons that they used when they transformed (Red used a broadsword, Elh used a staff, Mamoru used a shield, Waffle used a bow, and Alicia used a whip). Each of them was quick to grasp the use of each of their weapons, and before long, they were able to wield the normal weapons as well as their Crystal Weapons, making them able to better defend themselves, even in civilian form. As for Calua, Gren, Beluga, and Opera, they had also decided to learn how to use conventional weapons to defend themselves. Gren had taken a liking to the katana, which he found himself to be very proficient in using. Calua had taken an interest to using fist weapons, which meant he had to also learn some martial arts to go along with them. Beluga had interestingly decided to use a bow gun, which he was quickly able to use with deadly precision, along with practice with regular guns. As for Opera, she had gone for a less conventional weapon: bladed fans, or battle fans, which she quickly learned to use as a concealed weapon, rather than a straight out weapon.

-JSCR-

_On the world below..._

It was currently a day off for the students of the Shaolin Temple, and as such, they all were taking advantage of it. This included the three Wuzangs, who had split up for the day. Hua had gone to visit her Grandmother; Tang had gone to a nearby town to meet his father; and Cheng had gone to his home village for a visit. Of course, despite it being a day off, they were still on guard, since there have been attacks from those crystal demons that they encountered before. At the same time, there have also been sightings of the 'sorcerers' that would appear and fight off those demons. Another thing that added to the strangeness of the situation was the reports of a few golems that were seen alongside the sorcerers, with what seemed to be human-like cats and dogs riding them. Despite that, there really wasn't much that could be done about the situation, as the sightings were always rather quick, not leaving much proof.

-JSCR-

"Grrr, come on!" Cheng growled in annoyance, as his arrows missed the target again. Having decided to carry his bow and arrows with him, he had been trying to practice his archery, with **trying** being the keyword. He had already shot at least 10 arrows, and not one of them even came close to the center of the target. In fact, most of them didn't even hit the target at all. He was about to give up, when an arrow shot past him, a good distance away, before embedding itself close to the center of the target.

"Who's there?"Cheng yelled, before the person that had shot the arrow stepped into view. From the look of the person, Cheng could tell he wasn't from anywhere nearby. The young man had light colored skin, which was a much lighter shade than anyone from China. His eyes were a soft grey color, and his hair was a light, almost orange, shade of brown. He was dressed in a simple white Chinese shirt and light blue pants, which were slightly worn, suggesting that the man was a traveler of some kind. On his back was a quiver full of arrows, and in his right hand was a well-made bow.

"Sorry if I startled you, but I noticed you were having a hard time with your archery," the stranger said with a gentle smile on his face.

"Yeah, well I just need practice," Cheng said, not wanting to admit that he wasn't that good at archery, before he took another shot, with the arrow flying over the target, and embedding into the tree behind it. "Ohhh!"

"You're trying too hard," The stranger said, before he pulled out an arrow, and loaded it in his bow. "Just take it easy. Calm yourself first, carefully aim for the target, then let go," the stranger said, as he fired the arrow, which hit the target right in the middle.

"Wow, you must have been practicing for a long time," Cheng said.

"Not really, I only started using a bow like this a few days ago, and trust me, I was terrible at first," the stranger answered. "But then I stopped being so hard on myself, and stopped trying too hard, and before long, I was able to shoot a lot better," he added, which wasn't a lie, as he had only spent about 3 days (real time) to learn.

"Okay, then I'll try it," Cheng nodded, as he readied another arrow. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself, aimed, and let the arrow fly. The arrow shot out of the bow, and embedded itself on the target, not far from the center. "Alright! Thank you for the advice, Mr…"

"Waffle. Waffle Ryebread. Just call me Waffle," Waffle said.

"That's an… odd name. I guess you're not from around here are you?" Cheng asked, whilst scratching the back of his head.

"You could say," Waffle nodded. "Either way, I had better get going. It was nice to meet you, er…"

"Oh! My name's Cheng. It's nice to meet you as well," Cheng said.

Waffle nodded. "Yes, well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, Cheng," he said, before he walked away, leaving Cheng to go back to practicing his archery.

-JSCR-

Hua was jumping from tree to tree using her whip to help her reach some of the higher branches. She had initially started taking the road, but had decided to get some practice with her whip at the same time. She had gone through several trees, before a voice cut in.

"Not bad," a voice commented, before another whip lashed out, and wrapped around a tree branch.

"Huh? Who's there?" Hua asked in surprise, before the owner of the voice leaped into view. She was a young woman with tanned skin, that didn't look like anyone from China. Her eyes were an interesting shade of soft grey, which looked slightly greenish. She had oddly colored hair, which was a sandy blonde color on the front, but was colored black around the back of her hair, which she kept relatively short. She wore a simple outfit consisting of a top and long pants that actually seemed to resemble the outfit Hua was wearing; only it was a little more form fitting (showing off her attractive form), and it was colored black instead of purplish pink. The whip she held was clearly made of a strong material, which she wielded extremely well, especially considering that her right eye was covered with a black eye patch, suggesting that her right eye was blind.

The woman leaped onto a branch not far from Hua's position, landing in a crouched stance, which for some reason resembled a cat. "You're not bad. Think you can keep up?" she challenged, before leaping ahead of Hua.

"Huh? Hey!" Hua yelled, before taking off after the strange woman. The two of them quickly covered a lot of ground in their little competition. Hua quickly found herself having a hard time keeping up with the woman, who was easily leaping from branch to branch using her whip to grab the branches. The 'chase' kept on for a while, before the woman landed on a branch on the last tree of the path, which led to the small village where Hua's grandmother lived.

"I take back what I said. You're pretty good with that whip," the woman commented.

"Who are you, and why did you have me follow you all the way here?" Hua asked, as she caught her breath.

"Well, I just happened to be passing through when I noticed you practicing down this path. You looked like you wanted a work out, so I decided to give you one. Besides, I didn't have anything better to do anyway," the woman said with a slight smirk.

"Uh... thanks?" Hua said, not sure what else to say.

"Don't mention it. By the way, I'm Alicia. Alicia Priss. Nice to meet you," Alicia said, holding out her hand as a friendly gesture.

"My name's Hua. It nice to meet you too," Hua said, shaking the offered hand. "Umm... Alicia, you're not from around here are you?" she added.

"You got that right. You could say I'm from outside of China," Alicia nodded. "Well, I gotta go. See you around, Hua," she said, before jumping off to another path.

-JSCR-

Tang walked through the town he had decided to visit. He didn't have much to worry about considering that he had come by himself, since he was the son of the governor, and as such, had the respect of the people, and he was more than capable of taking care of any bandits that dared to cause any trouble. He had been touring the town for a while, when he noticed a large number of people crowding a nearby town square.

"Excuse me, what is all the commotion?" Tang asked a nearby civilian.

"Oh, we were having a martial arts tournament today. Since there isn't any prize or anything, the registry is free, and anyone can partake in the event," the man said.

"Anyone can enter? Very well, I wouldn't mind trying it out," Tang said.

"Very good. Go ahead and step up than," the man said, which Tang did.

The next few matches didn't last long, as Tang managed to easily beat all his opponents, since most if not all of them had little to no training before hand. After finishing his latest match, Tang turned to watch the next match that would determine his final opponent. When he saw who was competing, he blinked in surprise.

The two people who were competing were odd to say the least. Both of them clearly weren't from anywhere in China. The first one was a young man with brown hair, which was kept at shoulder-length, in a pony-tail style. His eyes were a deep blue color. His clothes consisted of a simple red shirt, and brown pants, added by a short red cape that only stretched down past his shoulders, barely covering anything. The oddest thing about the man, was the bone he had in his mouth, which actually seemed to make him look like a dog. He was armed with a simple, yet well made broadsword, which he was wielding with a high proficiency.

In front of him, his opponent was even odder in appearance. His opponent was another young man who looked roughly the same age. While he looked like he could have been from china, the fact that clearly said that he wasn't, was his hair which was colored a bright blue color, that easily reached waist length, and his eyes which were bright red. He wore foreign blue armor (the one he usually wears), and was armed with an odd looking sword which was slightly curved (katana).

The two of them faced off in an intense match, with the brown haired man using a rather free-style fighting style with his sword, while the blue haired man used a disciplined fighting style. The fight took a while, but the brown haired man managed to catch an opening in the blue haired man's defenses, and disarmed him.

"Very well, this match goes to you, Red," the blue haired man conceeded, refering to the brown haired man, as Red.

"You fought well yourself, Gren," Red said with a nod, as the blue haired man, Gren, stepped down from the arena.

With that, the final match could begin, as Tang and Red stepped up to the arena.

"Hm? You're certainly the youngest guy here," Red commented with a slight frown, since Tang seemed only slightly older than Mamoru, before his frown turned into a smile. "Well then, you must be pretty good to make it this far."

"Hmph! You certainly aren't from around here if you do not know who you're talking too," Tang said, slightly peeved at Red's comment.

"Oh? Do tell," Red smirked, as he fished out another bone, and put it in his mouth, replacing the one he had earlier.

"Very well. I am Tang, son of the governor, and a student of Shaolin," Tang stated.

"That so? Well then, I'm Red Savarin. You could say I'm a traveling fighter," Red said in response.

In the stands, a teenage girl sighed tiredly. She had slightly tanned skin, bright amber eyes that looked a lot like a cat's eyes, and gray hair, which was short and spiky. She was dressed in a simple outfit, which consisted of a simple blue robe and blue pants, which actually seemed to make her look like a boy rather than a girl. "Great, someone with as big of an ego as Red."

"I never though of Red as the type to have a big ego," commented a boy standing next to her. He had short hair, which was colored a light, slightly red-ish, shade of brown, which was kept in a neat fashion. His eyes were a light green color. He was dressed in a simple shirt, which was yellow, and a pair of black shorts.

"He doesn't show it all the time, but when he does..." the young woman sighed in response.

"Now, now, let the pup have his fun. After all, he certainly has the abilities to back up his ego," a woman said. She had an appearance that would have heads turning. She had long purple hair that reached down to her back, and her eyes were a bright red color. Her skin was tanned in such a way that made her look exotic, and she was dressed in a fine purple robe, like the one worn by a wealthy citizen, which was rather fitting on her body, leaving little to the imagination. By her side, were two young men, clearly her bodyguards. On her right stood Gren, who was dutifully standing by with his arms folded. On her left, was a young man with wild red hair, which was kept in a spiky style. He had bright green eyes, which seemed to go well with the somewhat childish expression on his face. He wore a similar armor to Gren, only his seemed lighter, and was colored red.

"Dude, the match is starting," the red haired man said, as they all turned towards the stage to see that the match had indeed begun.

"Ah, you're right. Thank you Calua darling," the woman said, referring to the red haired man as Calua.

"No problem, Lady Opera," Calua grinned, referring to the woman as Opera.

The match quickly began, as the two opponents charged at each other. The difference in both styles could be seen immediately, as Tang seemed to follow a certain pattern, which while not so easy to read, was still there. Red on the other hand seemed to use a completely freestyle technique, which seemed to revolve around randomly throwing fakes and actual blows, making it very hard to predict his movements.

"You certainly are skilled. What style are you using? I am unfamiliar with it," Tang said, as he blocked a strike from Red.

"Style? I don't have a fixed style. It's all freestyle," Red said with a grin, before catching a stab from Tang, tangling their blades. "Too bad I can't say the same about you," he added, before quickly twisting the blades, causing Tang to let go of his sword, effectively disarming him. "Looks like I win."

"How did you…?" Tang said, surprised that he had actually lost.

"Having a style is fine, but get too stuck in it, and you start showing a pattern. Once your opponent sees the pattern, it's not hard to counter it," Red said with a confident smile, before walking out of the ring, clearly winning the tournament.

"Congrats, dude! You totally earned it!" Calua congratulated.

"Yeah, that fight was great!" Mamoru nodded in agreement.

"Aww, it was nothing. I just had fun with it since it wasn't a serious fight," Red grinned.

"Well, it certainly was impressive," Elh nodded with a small smile on her face. Even though she knew this would just feed Red's ego, she figured the disguised Caninu deserved it, as he had won the tournament fair and square.

-JSCR-

_A few hours later, in the forest_

Waffle was walking down the path that was supposed to lead to the city. Despite not being 100% certain he was going the right way, he didn't let it worry him too much, since if needs be, he could easily teleport back up to their base, should he get lost. As he walked down the path, he heard a rustling amongst the tree branches. Turning towards the source of the sound, he saw a whip wrap around the trunk of a nearby tree, before a familiar form jumped on the branch.

"Alicia!" Waffle waved to his girlfriend, catching her attention.

Alicia smiled when she heard him, before jumping down from the branch she had landed on. The two of them exchanged a quick hug and a kiss (despite their relationship not being a secret with their friends, they still kept these displays of affection private). "So what have you been up to today?" she asked, as they walked down the path together.

"Not much. Just exploring the forest, which I definitely found enjoyable," he commented. "Well, I happened to meet this kid name Cheng while I was wandering the forest. He seemed to be practicing archery, though he was having a hard time when I happened to walk by. I gave him a quick tip on how to improve before I left. How about you? What were you up to today?"

"About the same as you, though I did get to practice with my whip," Alicia replied. "Although I did meet a girl when I was practicing. Her name was Hua, and she just happens to use a whip as well. I had a little race with her, which was kinda fun, since she was better than I thought."

The two of them continued to chat as they walked down the path. However, the peaceful time was cut short when the sound of an explosion rang through the air. "What was that?" Waffle said in alarm.

He got his answer when their communicators went started ringing. "What is it Zero?" they asked.

"Shard activity detected. Looks like the Frags are back for more, so I'm sending you the coordinates of the attack. I've already notified the others, and they are headed towards the location already," Zero quickly said.

"Right!" the two of them nodded, before running towards the location.

"Honestly! What do Fool and Bruno plan to achieve with these attacks? Even civilians could beat Frags!" Alicia commented as the two of them raced to the coordinates.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good," Waffle replied.

-JSCR-

The location that the Frags had been ordered to attack turned out to be the Shaolin Temple itself.

"Yes, yes. Go and destroy that ridiculous temple," Fool said as he and Bruno watched from their viewing globe.

"The people of this world look to that temple for both hope and protection. With its destruction, this world will surely fall into despair, and provide us with the energy we need," Bruno laughed as they watched the Frags assault the temple.

At the Shaolin Temple, things were hectic as the monks fought off the waves of Frags. The monks fought bravely and were already destroying many of the Frags, but they kept on coming in waves upon waves, with no end in sight. Earlier, as it was nearing the end of the day, all of the students were just returning to the temple everything had gone smoothly with no problems all day, so everyone thought it was going to be an uneventful day. Too bad for them, Murphy's Law decided to kick in, as from the forest, an entire army of crystal demons (Frags) appeared, and began attacking the temple.

"Quickly now, make sure the children are safe!" Master Fong ordered, as he rallied a good number of monks both to evacuate the students and at the same time fend off as many of the Frags as possible (A/N: writing 'crystal demons' is a hassle, so from now on I'll refer to them by their proper name).

Nearby, Sanzang and several other monks were at the front line, fending off as many of the Frags that kept attacking, but with every Frag they defeated, more seemed to take its place.

"Grand Master, we can't hold these things back for much longer! They will soon overrun us at this rate!" one of the monks said, as Sanzang just finished kicking on of the Frags into a line of other Frags.

"That may be so, but we must not let them through," Sanzang said, before he focused his Chi into the form of a green lion, which charged at the Frags, eliminating a good number of them. However, the drawback of this technique was that he became unable to do much else other than focus on the attack, and because of that, he didn't notice the Frags that were moving to attack him from behind.

Just as the Frags were about to attack, a whip lashed out, and knocked the Frags into each other, stopping their attack.

"Hua? I thought I told you to stay with the other students," Sanzang said, both pleased at his student's bravery, as well as disappointed at her disobedience.

"Forgive me master, but we couldn't just sit and watch while everyone was risking their lives," Hua apologized, whilst she quickly joined the defenses of the temple.

"We?" Sanzang asked, getting his answer a few seconds after that, as Tang and Cheng jumped down from one of the roofs, smashing a pair of Frags that had tried to blindside them.

"Sorry Master, but we couldn't just leave everyone," Tang said, before the four of them went into position to fend off the Frags.

"We'll talk about this later," Sanzang quickly said, as they readied themselves as the Frags started to surround them.

"Any ideas on how to get out of this?" Cheng asked.

"Just one. Keep fighting," Hua answered, as the Frags charged at them.

The Frags were getting close to them when a whirlwind suddenly kicked up and sucked up a good number of the Frags. "What was that?" Hua asked in surprise.

"Look! Over there!" Cheng said, pointing to one of the walls. Standing on top of one of the walls, was a girl. She was holding a staff with a jewel embedded on the tip, whilst chanting, as a mark on her forehead glowed. "A sorceress?"

"Hey, I remember that girl! I saw her today in town!" Tang said, just as a Frag came up from behind the girl. "Look out!"

The Frag didn't even get a chance, as it was cut in half by a sword, which revealed to be held by a familiar face. "Hm? Didn't expect to run into you again so soon!" Red said with a grin, as he hefted the sword over his shoulder.

"Don't lose focus, Red. We still have the Frags to deal with," Elh reminded in between her chants.

At the same time, some of the Frags opened fire on them, but a quick blur managed to deflect all the shots. The blur revealed to be Mamoru with a sturdy shield. "You two deal with offence. Leave the defense to me," he said, earning a nod from both of them.

"Hey, don't forget about us, dude!" Calua said, as he, Gren, and Opera entered the fray and started fighting their way through the Frags.

"That's right, Red sweetie. Don't go hogging all the fun now," Opera giggled.

Just as she finished saying that, several Frags tried to rush them by attacking at the same time, but before they could start the attack, a whip wrapped around one of the Frags, and it was promptly used as a wrecking ball against its comrades. Once it was done being used as a wrecking ball, it was thrown into the air, and an arrow shot and pierced it in the chest, causing it to shatter. "Sorry we're late," Waffle said as he and Alicia jumped into the temple grounds.

"But now we're here, let's get this party started," Alicia said with a grin as she cracked her whip.

With the aid that had come, the Frags were quickly starting to be beaten back. Elh dealed massive damage to the Frags with her spells, while Mamoru took it upon himself to defend her while she chanted. Of course, Elh didn't stick solely to her spells, as she knew that overuse of her spells would drain her, and now was not the time to get tired out.

Red had ended up fighting alongside Tang, who was busy holding off Frags near the main temple. "Small world, huh? We were just fighting this morning," Red said with a grin.

"True, but what are you doing here anyway? Not that I don't appreciate the help," Tang said as he parried one of the Frags and pushed it back.

"My team and I are here because of these guys. It's our job to hunt these guys down," Red answered, as he sliced and diced through several Frags.

Off at another end of the temple, Alicia and Hua were beating back a good number of Frags with their whips. "What are these things? They don't know when to quit!" Hua said as the Frags kept coming.

"That's Frags for ya, they don't stop until you smash every single one of them," Alicia replied, just as she saw the questioning look in Hua's eyes. "Tell you about them later!"

Near the entrance of the temple, Cheng, Opera, Gren, and Calua were beating back and stopping any Frags from entering, while Waffle provided long range support.

"Troublesome creatures, they won't win as long as we stand!" Gren said, as he kicked a Frag out of the way, before striking it with his katana.

"You got that right dude!" Calua grinned, as he slammed a Frag into the ground.

"Right you are, Gren darling," Opera nodded.

"Don't let up everyone! We've got them on the run!" Waffle yelled, as he shot arrow after arrow at the Frags, shattering a good number of them.

"Right!" Cheng said in reply, as he struck down several Frags with his sanjiegun.

Time went on, as they continued to fight back, and before long, the number of Frags decreased, till there were only a few left.

"Well, looks like these guys are the last of them," Red said with a grin, as the last remaining Frags were surrounded.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's take them out!" Alicia commented, her whip already ready.

"Easy there Alicia," Red chided. "These Frags attacked this temple. I think it's only fair that the monks get to do the honors."

"Is that so? Very well then," Sanzang said, as he summoned his chi lion, which charged at the Frags and sent them flying.

-JSCR-

_Castle Abyss, viewing room_

"No!" Bruno roared in anger as his fist impacted against the viewing globe. "Graaah! The Frags were supposed to destroy the temple, but instead they were destroyed! Useless! Incompetent! Worthless! Trash!"

"Looks like I'm up," Tigrerius said, as his claws, now having grown back, gleamed with a purple light.

"Not yet," Fool said. "Let them think they've won, and once their guard is down, then you can finish the job," Fool stated, a devious grin appearing on his face.

-JSCR-

_Night time, Shaolin Temple_

After the battle was over, the rangers had decided to stay and help the monks clean up the remains of the battle. It took a while, but now the temple was more or less back to the way it was before (excluding the chunks of wall and buildings that were missing thanks to energy bolts from the Frags). After the work was done, they had been invited to spend the night, since it was already getting late, and as a show of gratitude for their help. As of now, most of the temple was asleep, but the Rangers weren't asleep, as they were currently a short distance outside the temple gates, having snuck past the guards.

"Okay, nobody should hear us out here," Mamoru said, as they pulled out their communicators.

"Zero. Come in, Zero," Waffle said as they contacted The Wanderer.

"I read you. What is it, Rangers?" Zero said, as he opened the communication channel.

Unknown to them, while they had managed to sneak past the guards, someone had heard them when they were leaving, and had decided to follow them. That someone, or rather someones, turned out to be the three Wuzangs.

"Hmph. Just when you think you can trust some people, they turn out to be keeping things secret," Tang said, as the three of them hid behind one of the thicker bushes that was nearby. Earlier, Cheng happened to be out for a midnight snack, when he noticed the five of them leaving their room. Quickly waking up his friends, the three of them then followed the five of them out of the temple, and into the location they were currently in.

"I don't know… Waffle seemed like a nice guy when I met him," Cheng said.

"Yeah, Alicia might have been a bit strange, but she seemed like a nice person too," Hua nodded, before adding. "You sure you aren't just sore since Red beat you in the tournament?"

Tang blushed slightly at that, since there was a part of him-his more prideful side-that was still sore at the loss, but he quickly pushed it aside. "Him beating me has nothing to do with this. If anything, I think they might be connected to those demons."

"Really? If your saying they're in league with those demons, then why did help us, especially when the demons had the upper hand?" Hua challenged.

"I don't know. Maybe they were trying to gain our trust," Tang shot back.

"You three can come out now. We can hear you clearly with all that arguing you three are doing," Alicia commented, as she and her team sweat dropped.

"Great, nice going Hua," Tang said.

"Me? You're the one who raised his voice," Hua shot back.

"Uh, guys, they've already found us out, so there's no point in us still being here," Cheng commented.

"He's right you know. So either come out here, or go back to the temple. We don't have all night," Red stated, as the three Wuzangs decided to come out of their hiding spot.

"Now, where were we?" Waffle commented.

"We were about to discuss something with Zero," Elh reminded.

"Zero? Who's Zero?" Hua asked.

"You'll see," Mamoru said, as all five of them set their communicators for their holographic mode. The projections went together to form a miniature hologram of Zero, much to the surprise of the three Wuzangs.

"Took you long enough and I see you have some company" Zero commented, not at all sounding surprised. "Either way, you said that a small army of the Frags attacked the Shaolin Temple."

"Yeah that's right. What we don't get is why The Demon Heart would send the Frags to do that. I mean, it's just a temple at the end of the day," Red said.

"Maybe it's just a temple to us, but what about the people here?" Zero questioned.

"Good point," Elh nodded, before turning to the three Wuzangs. "What exactly is the significance of Shaolin to the people? It must have a significant importance if the Demon Heart sent its Frags to attack."

"Uh, the Shaolin temple has served to train the martial arts, which is to be used to defend the people, and uphold what is right," Tang answered, not sure what else to say.

"I see, so Shaolin is the training ground for the protectors of this land. Am I mistaken to say that Shaolin is symbolic to what is good, so that as long that it stands, the people will see that good is still strong in these lands?" Zero asked.

"Uh, no," Cheng answered.

"Oh! I get it now!" Mamoru said. "You're saying that since Shaolin is symbolic to the good guys, then if Shaolin were to be destroyed, then the people of this world would fall into despair…"

"And become the perfect food source for the Demon Heart!" Red finished for him, as all of them caught on to the plot, before they promptly froze when they realized what Mamoru had just said.

"Mamoru…" Zero hissed. Even though they couldn't see it thanks to his mask, they knew that Zero was glaring at Mamoru for his slip of the tongue.

"Wait! You said this world!" Hua exclaimed, before all three of them narrowed their eyes. "Alright, who are you people anyway? Answer us!"

"Guess the cats out of the bag…" Waffle sighed.

"Sorry guys…" Mamoru apologized.

"Well, for starters I guess we can ditch these disguises," Alicia said, as the five of them deactivated their spell cards. Immediately, the five of them were enveloped in a quick flash of light, and when the light cleared, they were in their native forms again, much to the surprise of the three Wuzangs.

"W-what are you?" Tang said, as he took a step back.

"Like we accidentally said, we aren't from this world. We came here from another world to hunt down a dangerous entity known as the Demon Heart," Elh explained.

"Okay, so what is this Demon Heart?" Cheng asked.

The five of them, along with Zero, then started to explain about the Demon Heart, as well as their mission. Once they were done, the three Wuzangs sat down as they tried to digest what they were told.

"Okay, so let me get this straight, you five are from another world where your people live in islands that float in the sky…" Tang started.

"That's right," Mamoru nodded.

"You came here chasing an ancient demon, which is easily the most powerful and most ancient evil," he continued.

"You're on the right track," Waffle nodded.

"And now you have to stop that same demon before it gets a chance to take over the entire universe," he finished.

"That is correct," Elh nodded.

"Okay, we need to sit down now," Hua sighed, as the three of them plopped themselves on the ground, as they tried to digest what they had just learned.

"One more thing, you can't tell anyone about this. It has to remain a secret," Red said seriously.

"Okay. Let's say we can't keep this a secret. What happens then?" Cheng asked. It was at this point that Zero stepped in.

"If you can't keep this a secret, then I'll have to silence you," he threatened, but just as he said that, they all noticed a glow coming from underneath Zero's mask. "On second thought, I'll just have to wipe your memories."

"Huh? Why the sudden change of heart?" Tang asked, curious at the sudden change.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about," Zero quickly said. Just as he said that, the alarms in the bridge started going off. "Shard Beast confirmed! It's the same one that got away!"

"What?" was the general reply, before Red quickly added, "Where is it?"

"Scanning… It's headed for the Shaolin Temple! The attack earlier must have been to weaken the defenses, as well as goad us to let our guards down!" Zero answered, realizing just what the meaning behind the previous attack was.

"What? It was just to make us let our guard down? But those things nearly managed to overrun the temple!" Tang said in surprise.

"The enemy's objective is to destroy the temple. I doubt they care which of their attacks succeed, as long as that temple, and the protectors of this world are destroyed," Zero stated, his voice going back to his usual emotionless voice.

"Well, let's stop wasting time and get over there!" Alicia quickly said, defusing the argument before it could start.

"Alright then! Ready?" Red said, as he triggered his Crystal Brace to appear.

"Ready!" his team responded, as their Crystal Braces appeared as well.

"Crystal Access!"

(Insert henshin sequence)

Each of them was encased in a larger version of their respective Infinity Crystal, before the crystals broke apart to reveal each of them in matching uniforms that were colored red (Red), blue (Elh), yellow (Mamoru), white (Waffle), and black (Alicia) respectively (in Mamoru's case, he had actually gone through a growth spurt, resulting in him becoming only slightly shorter than Red). The suits they were wearing looked like basic ranger suits, with an emblem that looked like a seven pointed star, with each point being a different color (clockwise from the top: red, blue, yellow, white, black, silver, and gold) on their chest. Gold lines ran down their shoulders, and around their collars. On their arms and legs, they wore white gloves and boots with silver lines around the wrist and ankles. The finishing touch was their helmets that appeared on their heads. Each helmet was shaped accordingly to their species, with a black visor over their eyes, with the boys getting dog themed helmets, and the girls getting cat themed helmets.

(Henshin sequence end)

"Huh? So it was the five of you back then. Should have guessed," Hua said in surprise.

"Wasn't it kinda obvious? I mean you just saw us in our true forms," Waffle said with a slight sweat drop.

"Enough talk! Let's get going!" Red stated.

"Right!" they all agreed, as they all quickly ran towards the Shaolin Temple.

-JSCR-

_Shaolin Temple…_

At the gates, just out of sight, Tigrerius lurked. "_Heh, the Frags may have failed, but they sure did some damage. Now to finish where they started,_" he thought, before his claws started glowing. He then crossed his arms, and flung them forward, releasing a barrage of purple energy blades which were all shaped in a somewhat crescent shape.

The monks that were currently on guard duty were caught off guard when the attack was launched, but they still managed to jump out of the way, as the attack plowed through the walls. The effect was instant. The entire temple was awoken, and the monks immediately prepared themselves for battle, while the students were told to remain back. At the same time, Calua, Gren, and Opera had taken up position to help the monks, even though they knew they could only hope to stall until their friends arrived.

"Another Crystal Demon?" Sanzang asked in surprise when he noticed Tigrerius' crystal-like features.

"Well, we already defeated an army of your kind. What makes you think we can't defeat one of you?" Fong declared. His sentiment was shared by the majority of the monks.

In response, Tigrerius simply laughed. "You actually think that you can defeat me? Don't put me at the same level as the Frags! To a Shard Beast of my caliber, even a hundred Frags are worthless!" he roared, before throwing another volley of energy blades.

The monks quickly scattered, before trying to counter attack the Shard Beast, but Tigrerius proved to be faster than expected, as he managed to either block most if not all the attacks, or even pluck several monks out of any flying kicks that they had aimed at him.

"Enough!" Sanzang declared, as he summoned his chi lion, which charged at Tigrerius.

"Is that all you got? If this is the best you can manage, I don't know how you managed to beat those Frags!" Tigrerius laughed, as he easily cut through the chi projection, which caused Sanzang to be thrown back slightly.

"Dude! Red and the others better hurry. We're getting creamed here!" Calua said, as he and Gren managed to catch the Grandmaster before he hit something that might just break his back.

"I'm sure they're on their way. For now, we can only buy them time," Opera said whilst gritting her teeth, while Gren grunted in agreement. Their weapons might have been effective on the Frags, but against a Shard Beast, they might as well have been using toothpicks.

At the same time, Tigrerius was starting to get bored. "Well then, I suppose I should end this before it gets boring," he said, as he charged up for another attack, intending on slaughtering the entire temple in one shot.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" came a familiar voice, before Tigrerius was pelted by a barrage of energy bullets, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Who's there?" The Shard Beast demanded. The only answer he got was being hit several times by a familiar energy whip, followed by several energy arrows, and a few magic bolts. Tigrerius staggered back from the damage he received.

Everyone watching looked towards the source of the attacks, to see the five Crystalrangers standing atop one of the walls, with their weapons at the ready.

"Guh! Dammit! Who the hell are you?" Tigrerius roared as he staggered forward.

"You want to know?" Alicia taunted.

"Then we'll tell you!" Red said, before they began their role call.

"Blazing Courage!" Red called out, before striking a pose with his sword (he lifts his sword up, like a triumphant warrior). "Crystal Red!"

"Ancient Wisdom!" Elh called out; as she too went into a pose with her staff (she holds her staff in a straight up position, with her right hand grasping the staff, while her left hand placed behind the crystal end of the staff, as though she were preparing to fire a spell). "Crystal Blue!"

"Endless Hope!" Mamoru called out; as he went into a pose with his shield (he holds his shield forward, like a defender ready to charge into his enemies). "Crystal Yellow!"

"Shining Light!" Waffle called out, before going into a pose with his bow (he holds his bow horizontally in his right fist, with the fist facing downward, with his left hand stretched behind it, as though he was about to fire an arrow). "Crystal White!"

"Protecting Darkness!" Alicia called out, before going into a pose with her whip (she holds the handle of her whip in her right hand, while stretching out the whip with her left hand, as though she is about to give her opponents the whipping of their lives). "CrystalBlack!"

The five of them then stood together, before pointing at the Shard Beast.

"Shattering the false power of evil! United, we shine!" they called out as they jumped down in front of the Shard Beast. "Jigen Sentai Crystalranger!" they called out together, as they spun around so that their backs were facing Tigrerius, just as a multi-colored explosion went off behind them, which damaged Tigrerius, throwing him back a few feet, as well as signaling the end of their entrance.

"Grah!" Tigrerius roared as he was sent rolling on the ground. "Time for some reinforcements. Frags!" he roared, before throwing the familiar marble into the air, which shattered and turned into a squad of Frags.

"Frags again? Don't you have anything new?" Alicia yawned, before the five of them charged at the Frags.

"Don't forget about us!" Hua said, as she, Tang, and Cheng joined the rangers.

"That's right! These things attacked our comrades, so we'll deal with them as well," Cheng nodded.

"You guys sure? I don't think you can do much against a Shard Beast," Mamoru said.

"If we can't beat that Shard Beast, then we'll at least deal with these Frags," Tang responded.

"Alright then, you heard them! We'll leave the Frags to them, while we take out the Shard Beast!" Red said.

"Right!" his team nodded, as they charged straight for Tigrerius.

As expected, several Frags tried to get in their way, but were immediately stopped when Hua caught a couple of them with her whip and used them to knock the others aside. "Where do you think you're going? We're your opponents!" Tang said, as the three Wuzangs charged at the Frags.

"Huh, you want a piece of me? Then bring it on!" Tigrerius roared in challenge, before launching a barrage of energy blades from his claws, only for the blades to be blocked and absorbed by the Hope Shield.

"You've gotta do better than that!" Mamoru said, just as Waffle and Elh jumped over his shoulder and fired their respective attacks, sending the Shard Beast staggering back slightly.

"Then try this!" Tigrerius said, before he roared again. However, unlike the last times, this roar was actually a sonic wave attack, which served to catch the three Sentai off guard, sending them flying back with sparks flying from their suits.

"And here I thought he couldn't get any noisier," Alicia commented, as she lashed out with her Dark Whip, binding the Shard Beast, before tossing him around.

"Nice try, but not good enough!" Tigrerius said, before unleashing another roar, which slammed into Alicia, sending her tumbling. "You're finished!" Tigrerius roared, as he charged at her downed form with his claws, intending to finish her, only for his claws to be parried by Red's Courage Sword.

"Not if I can help it!" Red shouted, before breaking the parry, and striking Tigrerius several times in the stomach while his guard was open, finished by a rapid fire from the Courage Sword's blaster mode, which sent the Shard Beast tumbling back.

"Why you-!" Tigrerius snarled, as he readied his claws again, which glowed in preparation for an attack.

"Not this time!" Alicia yelled, having caught her second wind, as she lashed out with her whip, which bonded Tigrerius' claws together, effectively stopping his attack. "Now!" she yelled. In response, Waffle and Elh jumped towards Tigrerius with their weapons at the ready, before they brought them down on Tigrerius' claws, breaking them off!

"Alright! Now he can't escape!" Mamoru cheered.

"Yup, the plan worked perfectly!" Elh cheered as she and Waffle high-fived.

"Now then, let's finish this!" Red said, as the five of them stood together.

"Assemble!" they called out as they put their weapons together. The Light Bow was attached on top of the Courage Sword's barrel, followed by the Wisdom Staff, which was split into two halves, before being attached to the two edges of The Light Bow. Following this, the Hope Shield was attached on top of the Light Bow, locking it into place. The finishing touch was the Dark Whip, which was placed under the Courage Sword's barrel.

"Crystal Blaster!" they called out, as they leveled the weapon at Tigrerius, who was still dazed from the damage he received. "Prism Wave!" they called out, firing the beam of energy.

Tigrerius regained his senses just as the beam was fired, only this time, he had no way to escape. The beam hit him dead in the chest, causing him to roar out in pain, before his body crystalized and shattered.

"Alright! You did it!" the three Wuzangs, having finished off the last of the Frags, cheered at the defeat of the Shard Beast.

"Nope, it's not over yet!" Red cautioned.

"What do you mean it's not over yet? The demon is clearly destroyed!" Master Fong demanded whilst pointing to the remains of the Shard Beast. Immediately, as though to answer his question, the sky that had been clear just a moment ago darkened.

-JSCR-

_Castle Abyss…_

"Graaah! We were so close!" Bruno roared in frustration, before he brought his arms together, and positioned his hands as though he were holding something, and began chanting. "Roaring inferno, hellish flames! Raise this beast with hateful rage!" Bruno chanted, as a ball of black fire appeared in his hands, before he threw it at the viewing globe.

-JSCR-

_Shaolin Temple_

From the black clouds in the sky, a burning ball that looked like a black meteor shot down.

"Everyone, take cover!" Sanzang ordered, as everyone ducked for cover when the meteor impacted against the spot where Tigrerius' remains lay. The meteor erupted into a massive inferno, and within the inferno, Tigrerius' shards seemed to melt, before coming together and rapidly expanding. From the inferno, a giant purple blob emerged, before reforming into a giant version of Tigrerius, which thankfully was somehow outside of the temple.

"Huh, leave it to Bruno to make such a persistent Shard Beast," Elh commented.

"W-w-what?" How are we supposed to beat that thing?" Hua yelled in surprise at seeing the gigantic Shard Beast.

"Leave that to us!" Mamoru reassured, as the five of them raised their weapons.

"Jigen Shokan! Crystal Animals!" they called out, calling to the Crystal Animals.

The Crystal Animals emerged from their respective portals, and the Crystalrangers didn't waste any time in jumping aboard.

"Crystal Animals! Crystal Gattai!"

(Insert gattai sequence)

Crystal Dragon's legs folded together, before the upper body did a 180 degree twist, as the wings folded together to form a sort of chest plate, while the neck, head, and lower body remained the same, followed by the neck pulling back into the torso, leaving only the head, which bent down, completing the head and torso. Following this, Crystal Rhino unfolded to form the legs and waist, with the Rhino's head becoming the right foot, while the left foot had a blunt shaped foot. The legs of the Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness folded into their bodies, before the heads bent downward into a 90 degree position, as their tails folded upward, revealing hands, completing the arms, with the heads of the two Crystal Animals becoming the shoulders. Crystal Eagle straightened out, before all the Crystal Animals came together, with Crystal Eagle's talons locked between the torso and the waist, as Crystal Eagle attached to the back of the torso, and the wings folded in, while the legs and arms were securely locked in place (Wolf used as right arm, and Lioness used as left arm). To finish off, a golden helmet appeared and fitted itself on to Crystal Dragon's head, as the horns grew longer, giving it the appearance of a (literal) Dragon Knight. Inside, the Crystalrangers now found themselves together in a much larger chamber, with their individual consoles right in front of them.

(Gattai sequence end)

"Crystal Knight! Shine-On!" the five of them called out, as they inserted their weapons into their individual consoles, powering up the Gattai.

-JSCR-

_Down at the temple…_

"What in the world?" Sanzang gasped, as everyone watching (excluding Calua, Opera, and Gren) was gapping at the sight.

-JSCR-

_Back with the Crystalrangers_

"Alright, let's take this over grown fur ball down once and for all!" Red said, as the five of them grabbed on to their consoles.

"I'd like to see you try!" Tigrerius taunted as he charged at Crystal Knight with his claws ready. Tigrerius brought his claws down, only to be parried by the Crystal Saber.

"Nice try, but not good enough! Rhino Strike!" Mamoru called out, triggering the Gattai to deliver a strong kick, which knocked the Shard Beast back.

"So that's how you want to do it, then how about this!" Tigrerius roared, before he sliced at the sky, causing a vortex to open, before he jumped through.

"Huh? Where did he go?" Waffle asked in surprise. He got his answer, when Crystal Knight was suddenly struck from behind.

"Waugh!" they all cried out as the Gattai staggered forward. Turning around, they were just in time to see Tigrerius retreating back into the vortex.

"Ugh, he's using his portal tricks again!" Elh said, as they tried to search for the Shard Beast. They didn't need to wait long, as another attack hit the Gattai, followed by several other hit and run attacks.

"Gwaaah!" they cried out as they struggled to maintain balance.

"What's the matter? Didn't you say you were gonna take me down?" Tigrerius taunted before retreating back into the vortex.

"Oh man, how are we gonna beat him if we can't even hit him?" Mamoru groaned.

Nobody had an answer, until Red's crystal suddenly started glowing. "Alright, I have a way to beat him, but you all have to trust me on this one," Red said.

"Alright, what do you have in mind, Red?" Elh asked.

"Ok, everyone just calm down, and let me take control," Red said, as he gripped his sword handle.

"O-okay, we trust you," Waffle said, as the others nodded, before letting go of their consoles.

"Thanks guys," Red nodded, before closing his eyes and concentrating. His crystal started glowing again, as his senses suddenly felt much sharper than they normally were. He could now feel almost everything, down to the small shifts in the air. Suddenly, he felt a shift just to their right, moments before a vortex opened.

"There!" Red shouted, snapping his eyes open. Immediately, Crystal Knight swung the Crystal Saber towards the vortex, catching both of Tigrerius' claws that were emerging, breaking them off.

"What? Impossible!" Tigrerius roared in outrage at the loss of his claws, before the Crystal Saber struck him a few times.

"Alright, it worked!" Red cheered, as the others took control of their consoles again.

"Okay, let's finish this!" Alicia said, earning a nod from her team.

The five of them immediately pulled out their weapons from their respective consoles, before the weapons transformed into copies of the Crystal Saber. The five of them raised their sabers in unison, with Crystal Knight mimicking their movement, as its saber began to glow with a rainbow of colors.

"Crystal Saber! Spectrum Strike!" they called out, as they brought their sabers down, as Crystal Knight executed its finisher.

"Gwaaargh!" Tigrerius roared in pain as he was struck down the middle.

Having completed the finisher, Crystal Knight turned around, as the Crystalrangers already knew that the battle was over.

"N-no way!" Tigrerius managed to roar out, before his body was covered in sparks, as he fell over and exploded. Down in the forest, several shards came together to form the tiger that had been the host, before the Core Shard was ejected and shattered in the air.

Inside Crystal Knight, the five Rangers cheered for their victory.

"Signals negative. Shard Beast eliminated," Zero acknowledged over the communication line.

-JSCR-

_Several minutes later_

With the crisis averted, the Crystalrangers dismissed Crystal Knight which simply vanished into thin air. Teleporting down, they appeared a short distance outside the temple, before they quickly switched back to their human disguises.

"Hey, we saw the commotion! Is everyone alright?" Red shouted, as the five of them ran into the temple.

"Yes, everyone is alright," Sanzang said, as the five of them sighed in relief, pretending that they didn't just defeat the giant Shard Beast. "But, where were you five?"

"Oh… uh we were…" Red trailed off.

"Taking a walk!" Alicia cut in.

"Yeah, we couldn't sleep, so we decided to take a walk. We saw the giant monsters fighting, so we rushed back," Waffle quickly said, playing along with the story.

"I see. Well, it was fortunate that you weren't caught up in the battle," Sanzang nodded, even though he had his suspicions.

The five of them just laughed in response.

-JSCR-

_Castle Abyss_

"Graaaah! Another plan! Ruined!" Bruno roared in frustration, as flames erupted around him.

"Calm down Bruno!" Fool said from behind the safety of his barrier.

"_Yes Bruno. Calm down!_" the Demon Heart ordered.

Bruno seethed for a moment, before he calmed down.

"_While it is true that we have lost another Shard Beast, our prize still remains,_" The Demon Heart continued.

"Yeeees, the Root Gem," Fool said in an almost purring tone, as the viewing globe showed a fist sized purple gem, which looked as though it had roots that were growing out of it. Those roots seemingly tunneling into the earth.

"_That's right! Once the Root Gem has reached full maturity, this world will be under my control!_" The Demon Heart laughed insanely, knowing that despite the setback, its plan was still underway.

(Scene freezes, as the episode ends)

-PRCF-

(Ending theme: "Mirai Iro" by Plastic Trees. OST Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

_*music*_

As the music starts, we see shots of Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru (in this order), before the scene changes to show silhouettes of the five of them in Sentai form, with the shadow of Crystal Knight in the background.

_Hatenaki__Sekai__naraba__kono__Mune__niwa Akashi o_

We see a scene zooming out, revealing Red holding the Courage Sword, pointing it at the screen. He has his usual cocky expression on his face. Along his arm, a faded picture of Crystal Dragon is seen.

_Onaji__Namidanuretara__Bokura__Waraiaou_

The scene then changes to another zoom out scene, with this one showing Elh with her back turned, as though walking away. On her skirt, a faded picture of Crystal Eagle is seen.

_Toki Hanattetta__Genjitsu de kizamu__Kodou__ni__Fureezu o_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Waffle who is seemingly doing a backward flip with a grin on his face, while pointing his Light Bow at the screen. On his leg, a faded picture of Crystal Wolf is seen.

_Kyoumei__shiteku__Kokoro__ni__Oto o tatete__Saku__Namae no nai Hana_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Alicia, who is seemingly doing a cart wheel, while pointing her Dark Whip at the screen, as though lashing out with it. On her pants, a faded picture of Crystal Lioness is seen.

_Osoroi no Ibasho__Bokura__Mitsukeru_

Another zoom out scene is shown, with this one showing Mamoru, who looks like he is about to leap out of the screen. On his uniform, a faded picture of Crystal Rhino is seen.

_Yume miruyou__ni__Mezamete__Mirai__madette__Nobashita__Te_

The scene changes to show Alicia who is holding her hand up, as though she is falling. Around her, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Stare (with her usual calm appearance), Flare (with her usual cheerful expression), Panta (looking determined as always), Matoi (with a happy smile on her face), Princess Terria (with a gentle smile on her face), Cyan (with his usual confident smile), and Fool (looking like he is planning something). Most noticeable of all is a silver colored crystal with a faded picture of Beluga (with a stoic look on his face).

_Tsukamu__hanasu__Kurikaeshi__Sagashite_

The scene slowly shifts up to show Waffle who is holding out his hand, as though trying to catch Alicia before she falls. Around him, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Opera (in her usual pose with her fan), Gren (dutifully standing with his arms crossed), Calua (with his usual big grin on his face), Merveille (smiling slightly), Chocolat (with her usual cheerful appearance), and Bruno (laughing insanely). Most noticeable of all is a gold colored crystal with a faded picture of Zero with his mask on.

_Omoi__tsuiteku__Iro de Kurayami__dat__t__e__nurikaenagara_

The five Infinity Crystals are seen circling each other, before a hand reaches out for them, causing them to scatter

_Kioku KIZUNA Kibou to Kasanetara_

The scene zooms out to reveal two figures standing in a forest bathed with golden light.

_Mirai__Iro__zutto__Bokurawa__egaiteku_

The two figures reveal to be Red and Elh, as both stand side by side, watching the source of the golden light with their hands intertwined. The scene then shifts to reveal the light to be coming from the shining silhouette of an unknown Gattai, as the Infinity Crystals are seen revolving around it.


	8. Plan Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Zero, the infinity crystals, the Crystal Animals, and the monsters.

A/N: I might refer to the team as either "Sentai", "Super Sentai", "Crystalrangers", or even just "Rangers".

(Opening theme 2: "Butter-Fly" by Kouji Wada. OST Digimon Adventure)

_*music*_

As the music starts, each of the first five Infinity Crystals are seen falling through space (in order: red, blue, yellow, white, and black), before the title appears

_Gokigen na chou ni natte kirameku kaze ni notte_

The Infinity Crystals are seen falling like comets through space, as they break through the atmosphere

_Ima sugu kimi ni ai ni yukou_

The Infinity Crystals are shown landing in Little Tail Bronx, before the Demon Heart's eye is seen in the background, as the pupil focuses on the planet

_Yokei na koto nante wasureta hou ga mashi sa_

Red is seen catching the red Infinity Crystal, followed by a scene of Elh catching the blue Infinity Crystal, then Waffle catching the white Infinity Crystal, then Alicia catching the black Infinity, and finally Mamoru catching the yellow Infinity Crystal

_Kore ijou shareteru jikan wa nai_

The scene zooms out from Mamoru, to reveal the five Crystalrangers (in civilian form) together in what looks like a forest, as several random Shard Beast emerge, surrounding them

_Naniga wow wow wow wow wow kono sora ni todoku no darou_

The five Crystal Braces are seen, as the crystals begin to glow brightly, signaling their activation

_Dakedo wow wow wow wow wow ashita no yotei mo wakaranai_

Red, Elh, Mamoru, Waffle, and Alicia are seen being enveloped by the light of their respective crystals, before each of the Crystalrangers (in Sentai form) are seen one by one with their weapons ready and their respective Crystal Animals in the background (in this order: Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, Mamoru)

_Mugendai na yume no ato no nanimo nai yo no naka ja_

A mountain is seen exploding as Crystal Dragon breaks through it, before taking to the sky (Red is seen riding on its back). As Crystal Dragon ascends, Crystal Eagle flies past it and does some impressive aerial maneuvers (Elh is seen riding on its neck)

_Sou sa itoshii omoi mo makesou ni naru kedo_

A split screen shows Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness running through different sections of a forest, before both of them make it to a cliff and leap off, before the scene quickly freezes on the scene of them passing each other with the moon in the background (Waffle and Alicia are seen gazing at each other from their respective Crystal Animals' heads)

_Stay shigachi na imeeji darake no tayorinai tsubasa demo _

Crystal Rhino is seen bursting through a mountain (Mamoru is seen on its back), followed by a scene of Chocolat, Stare, Flare, Panta, and Matoi watching at a distance from atop the Wanderer

_Kitto toberusa on my love_

Zero is seen standing on a field with his arms crossed, as the shadowed forms of three large mechas (not Gattais) are seen in the background.

_*music*_

Each of the Crystalrangers are seen launching their individual attacks, followed by the Crystal Blaster. The final scene shows the five Crystalrangers together (from left to right: Waffle, Mamoru, Red, Elh, and Alicia) in their civilian forms, with Crystal Knight standing in the background.

(Opening song finish)

-JSCR-

Episode 7: Plan Revealed! Continuing the Journey!

_Xiaolin Temple_

Red yawned tiredly as he was leaning against a wall. "Man, we've been here for 2 weeks, and all we've had is Frags, Frags, and more Frags," the disguised Caninu sighed.

"That's a bad thing?" Mamoru asked as he walked out of the room the team shared during their stay.

"Yeah, shouldn't it be a good thing that we've only had to worry about Frags," Waffle nodded in agreement.

"Actually, I agree with Red," Elh said as she walked out of their room. "The last time our enemies had been laying low like this, they were preparing for something."

"I get it! Since they're laying low, it means they must be planning something!" Mamoru said.

"Yeah that's it. That's why I'd rather they fight us outright instead of leaving us hanging like this," Red stated.

"Well, if you put it that way, you have a point," Alicia commented, before all five of them sighed heavily. It was times like this when their job seemed so much harder.

Any more discussions were halted when a certain trio walked in. "You know, for heroes saving the world, you guys sure don't seem very optimistic," Tang commented.

"Easy for you to say. The bad guy you guys have to fight doesn't intend to take over the entire universe. No offence, but him against us based on what we've seen so far, we could take him any day," Red shot back in annoyance.

"Well, we can't argue on that last part," Tang relented.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen the Black Foxes run like that," Hua laughed slightly.

"Yeah, like scared rabbits running from a bear," Cheng nodded, as they all shared a laugh.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile, Castle Abyss…_

"Ah yessss, everything is going according to plan…" Fool mused as he looked through the viewing globe. "Just a little bit more, and the Root Gem will be ready."

"Excellent. I was almost afraid we'd be stuck on this pathetic world for the rest of our lives," Bruno nodded in agreement, as at this stage, they couldn't afford to make mistakes so early in the plan.

"_Good. Soon this world shall be under my control! Once the Root Gem has matured, all we need is the perfect host for it, and then it will only be a matter of time before this world falls into my control!_" The Demon Heart laughed, as in the viewing globe, the Root Gem they had planted began to pulsate.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile, unknown location…_

"You fools!" Heihu roared as his Black Foxes cowered in fear. "I send you all to retrieve the mirror, and you all fail miserably!"

"B-b-but boss, it wasn't our fault. We had a trap for the Wuzangs, but those foreigners got in the way," one of the Black Foxes pleaded. It had been a couple of days ago when Heihu had ordered them to retrieve (steal) a mirror that was said to show the deepest desires of the person that looked into it. As Heihu's desire was to know the location of the second book of wisdom, he figured that the mirror would show him where the book was. When the Black Foxes went to steal the mirror, naturally the Wuzangs were there to stop them, so they had a plan ready. Too bad for them, they didn't expect that the Wuzangs would have some help in the form of the Crystalrangers (all in human form, as there was no need to transform to fight off the Black Foxes). Needless to say, the plan failed miserably as in the middle of the chaos, the mirror ended up getting smashed to pieces.

In response to the excuse, Heihu was seriously considering incinerating the Black Fox that had given the excuse, but stopped to consider. "Foreigners you say… Very well, who are these interlopers that dare to get in my way?"

"W-well…" The Black Fox stuttered, before explaining what they looked like. When he was finished, Heihu nodded.

"Very well, it would seem that I pay these meddlers a visit," Heihu said, chuckling evilly, before outright laughing to the sky.

-JSCR-

_The next day, Kai Feng…_

Red and Elh were busy searching through the crowds of people. Earlier, they had gotten a message from Zero that Beluga and Merveille were going to join them on the surface (while Merveille and Beluga had been going to the surface of the planet several times, they usually stayed off world), and as such, agreed to meet up in the town, so as to look more natural.

"He sure seems exited," Cheng commented, as he, Tang, and Hua had volunteered to escort Red and Elh.

"Well, he did say his mother was coming, so can you blame him?" Hua said.

"She's got a point there," Tang nodded.

Any further discussion was halted when Red and Elh spotted the people they were looking for. "Hey! Over here!" Red called out, catching their attention.

When the group got closer, they were able to see who Red and Elh had been calling.

The first was a woman with relatively long golden blonde hair which slightly covered her face, and was done up in an upward hairstyle at the back of her head with a hair band to hold it in place. She had fair skin, with deep blue eyes (much like Red's eyes) behind a pair of glasses. She wore a simple traveler's outfit consisting of a white tunic and pants.

The second member of the group was a young man who looked a lot like Elh. He had spiky white hair, which was mostly short, except for two braids one the two sides of his face, topped with an X-shaped scar on his face. He was dressed in a black shirt and pants, which were covered by a red cloak, topped with a red headband on his forehead.

"Glad you two could come," Elh said with a smile as she and Red greeted them.

"But of course. We've only had quick glimpses of this world, I simply couldn't resist seeing it more," Merveille smiled, as her scientist side was showing.

"Well, I don't blame you. This world is very nice, even with a few problems, but then again, our world isn't all that different," Red nodded with a grin.

"Naturally, I assume you decided to come along when Merveille said she wanted to come down here," Elh said with a chuckle, which Beluga simply turned away from in slight embarrassment.

"They're not the only ones who decided to come," came an unfamiliar voice.

Turning towards the source of the voice, Red and Elh saw a young man with bright blonde hair. He was dressed in a simple silver colored shirt and pants, with a black cloak covering his body. His features were relatively handsome with deep brown colored eyes, but the upper right side of his face was covered in bandages, which completely covered his right eye and the rest of the upper right side of his face.

"Huh? Who are you?" Red asked, not recognizing the person.

"I'm not surprised you don't recognize me. You've never seen me without my mask," The person responded, causing Red and Elh's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Zero? You're Zero?" they both asked in surprising synch.

Zero nodded in response. "I'd prefer to be wearing my mask, but I didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention."

"Well, looking like that I can't really blame you for wearing a mask," Red commented with a sweat drop, while Elh, Beluga, and Merveille all silently agreed.

Zero simply shrugged in response, before he noticed the three Wuzangs. "So you three are the protectors of this world? Not quite what I'd expect, but one must never judge a book by its cover."

"Uh… Yeah. Welcome to our world I guess…" Hua said, as the three of them weren't quite sure how to greet the newcomers.

-JSCR-

_Later, Shaolin Temple_

Master Sanzang was kneeling in the lower section of the temple, specifically the location where the ashes of the previous grandmasters of Shaolin were kept. Invisible to anyone else, were the spirits of the previous grandmasters, busy giving counsel and wisdom to Sanzang.

"Truly in all my years, I have never heard of such a thing. Demons made out of crystals that can grow to tower over mountains, a group of sorcerers that hunt down these demons and control a gigantic titan to defeat them. Even Heihu was never able to reach such feats," the spirit of the grandmaster from 1000 years ago said.

"Venerable spirits of my ancient masters, please enlighten me…" Sanzang pleaded. For the last few weeks he had been troubled by the events that had been happening, and hoped that his predecessors could give him the counsel and wisdom he needed.

The spirits seemed to discuss amongst themselves, before one of them stepped (floated?) forward. "Forgive us Sanzang…never in our long history have we encountered such things. We…"

"Have no idea on how to respond to the Shard Beasts," came a monotone voice.

"Who's there?"Sanzang demanded, as out of the shadows stepped a young man with short blonde hair, bandages covering a quarter of his face, and an odd device over his left eye (think Saiyan scouter).

"Not an enemy I can assure you," Zero stated, his face blank of emotion, before removing the device from his face.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Sanzang demanded, as he got into a fighting stance.

"My name is of no importance. However, if you must call me something, call me Zero. As for how I got in, I came here along with Red and Elh earlier," Zero stated. "Either way, I've come to discuss the current issue, which is the Shard Beast, and their master, The Demon Heart."

"Hm? How do you know of these demons, when no one else has even heard about them?" Sanzang asked, though still wary of Zero.

"I am not surprised. I do not expect you to know about a threat that has come from another world," Zero nodded.

"Another world?" Sanzang repeated in surprise.

"That is correct. Like my team and myself, this new threat has come from another world," Zero stated.

"Why are you telling me this? What do you have to gain from it?" Sanzang asked suspiciously. While normally he was a friendly and trusting old man, but Zero just seemed to rub him in a way that made him very suspicious.

"For starters, it is my mission to aid the chosen ones in defeating the Demon Heart, however if we start talking about what I gain out of it, I gain nothing personally, save for perhaps self-preservation, but I ensure that we don't lose anything to the Demon Heart. If the Demon Heart were to be allowed to run rampant, it would endanger the entire universe," Zero answered, before extending his hand to Sanzang. "As it is in all of our interest, I look forward to the cooperation of Shaolin. Don't worry, all I ask is that you give us temporary lodging here so that we may at least have a base of operation on this world. Nothing more, nothing less," Zero said, before bowing respectfully (he may be creepy at times, but he is definitely not a rude person) and exiting the chamber. "_Come to think of it, I don't think anyone knows I'm down here. Maybe I should have told them... Not that it makes a difference. It's best I only call them when a Shard Beast acts up,_" he idly thought as he went up the stairs.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile…_

Mamoru and Elh were busy helping the three Wuzangs with some of the chores around the temple, while Red, Beluga, Opera, Calua, and Gren were helping some of the monks unload supplies that had just come in from the city. They stopped for a moment when they noticed Waffle and Alicia walking towards the gates.

"Hey you two, going somewhere?" Opera asked, catching their attention.

"Huh? Oh! Me and Alicia were just going to go out for a bit," Waffle said.

"Y-Yeah, we just wanted to explore a little, since we've mostly stayed in the temple," Alicia nodded as they exited the temple, though the fact that they were holding hands sort of gave away what they really wanted to do.

"Must be nice to have someone special to spend your time with," Hua said sounding almost dreamy.

"You know Hua, if you want…" Cheng was about to say, but Tang beat him to it.

"If you'd like, I know a few places to spend some time," Tang said.

"Uh…thanks Tang, but maybe another time," Hua replied.

"Sometimes I think those three are just friends, but other times I think they're a love triangle," Elh whispered to her friends.

"Though you have to admit, this is almost better than a soap opera," Opera giggled.

"Seriously? That's what you think about this?" came Zero's voice from right behind them.

"Waugh!" they yelped in surprise, before turning towards Zero who had a sweat drop on his head.

"Are you trying to kill us with a heart attack or something?!" they angrily demanded as they were once again on the receiving end of Zero's habit of appearing right behind them.

"Does he do that often?" Cheng asked as he, Hua, and Tang were all clutching their chests from the shock.

"All…the…time…!" Red said in a long suffering tone.

Zero just shrugged before saying "A warrior must always be aware of his or her surroundings. Had any of you been my enemy, I'd have either shot or stabbed you by now."

That shut them up, as they realized just how right Zero was. "Ehehehe, you…got a point there," Mamoru nervously said, as all of them (Sentai and non-Sentai) silently vowed to train themselves in that aspect, even if just to get back at Zero later for all the time he nearly gave them heart attacks.

"Either way, keep on guard. I have a feeling something big is about to happen today," Zero cautioned, before turning to leave.

"...dude, that guy gives me the creeps sometimes," Calua said with a shudder.

"I agree. His presence seems…disturbing at times," Gren agreed.

"Who is he actually? I know you said his name is Zero, and that he's human, but…I feel like those things tell us only the bare basics about him," Hua asked.

"Honestly…we don't know. He just came to our world one day, brought the five of us to his ship before warning us about the Demon Heart and telling us about the Infinity Crystals. He then gave us our Crystal Braces, and since then, he's been alerting us when Shard Beast appear, and more or less guide us along the way," Elh said with a frown.

"I think he might have had a tragic past. He may seem distant, but I think he's a good person at heart," Red commented with a frown.

"What makes you say that?" Mamoru asked, not remembering Zero saying anything that might have pointed to that conclusion.

"You didn't hear him back when we were at Basset. You were playing with Arzy and the others back then," Red said with a small smile, before continuing. "Back then, he said that we should keep our distance from anyone not involved."

"Right. 'I lost someone who was very important to me because I was too close to them, and my enemies took advantage of that' is what he said. He tried to hide it, but he seemed so…sad when he said that," Elh said remembering the hidden sorrow in Zero's voice.

"Yeah, that's why I think he's a good person at heart. He may seem cold, but he looks out for us," Red finished with a frown, leaving them all with some food for thought. Nobody was willing to continue this discussion.

-JSCR-

_Later, forest surrounding an unnamed village…_

Waffle and Alicia were comfortable leaning against each other under the shade of a tree, both of them sleeping peacefully as they enjoyed the breeze and the sound of a nearby river flowing through, both of them going to enjoy the time together peacefully…

Yeah right!

The two of them were quickly awakened by the sound of hooves galloping across the ground.

"What is that?" Alicia irritably demanded, not appreciating the rude awakening.

"Sounds like horses," Waffle said, before checking over the nearby hill. When he saw what it was, his eyes widened. "Oh no! It's the Black Foxes! They're attacking that village!"

"What?" Alicia said in surprise, before seeing it for herself. "Those creeps. Attacking a defenseless village. That's just like them!" she growled angrily.

Looking at each other the two of them nodded, before jumping down the hill and running towards the village. At the same time, Waffle pulled out his communicator.

-JSCR-

Back at the Shaolin temple, the teams' communicators went off, before they quickly responded. "Waffle? What's going on?" Red asked.

"Guys! It's the Black Foxes. They're attacking a nearby village where we are. Me and Alicia should be able to handle it, but just in case…" Waffle said.

"Right. We'll be there to back you up!" Elh nodded, as they put away their communicators.

"Alright, let's go!" Mamoru said enthusiastically.

They were about to run off, when Opera's voice cut in. "Now where do you think you three are going?" she said as she, Calua, and Gren walked into the room.

"Yeah dude, don't forget about us!" Calua grinned.

"Sure, we could use any help we can get," Mamoru said.

"Then we're coming too!" Hua suddenly said, as she poked her head through the window.

"Heh, go ahead, we sure don't mind sharing the chance to send those Black Foxes running again," Red grinned.

With that in agreement, the group of 9 immediately left the temple. Once they got enough distance, Red, Elh, and Mamoru activated their Crystal Braces. "D-Cycles!" they declared, as their bikes materialized in front of them.

"Get on! We'll cover more ground this way!" Red shouted.

"Uh…Right!" the Wuzangs said, before jumping on the bikes, as Red, Elh, and Mamoru hit the accelerators, causing the bikes to race off.

"Hey, wait for us!" Calua called out, as he, Opera, and Gren pulled out three cards, and tossed them forward, materializing 3 bikes.

"Huh? Since when did you have those?" Mamoru asked in surprise.

"Zero sent these for us so we wouldn't have to keep calling out our robots every time. A wise choice if you ask me," Gren answered.

"Leave it to Zero to plan for everything," Elh chuckled as they sped up towards their destination.

Unknown to the heroes, their exit was not as undetected as they thought.

"What in the world? Metal horses?" Master Fong said in surprise, as he and master Sanzang had been nearby when the heroes exited Shaolin.

"I don't know. However, I'm certain we know someone who knows. You can come out now," Sanzang said, as Zero, Merveille, and Beluga stepped out from behind a nearby wall.

"As expected from someone of your caliber, you knew I was watching the whole time," Zero nodded in acknowledgement. "It seems there is something urgent happening, otherwise those three would never have summoned the D-Cycles. Oh well, we might as well find out what," Zero said, sounding almost dismissive, before he pulled out 2 card.

"Hm? What are you-?" Sanzang never got a chance to finish, as Zero simply tossed the cards, which glowed before two bikes materialized. The first bike looked like a standard bike, only with streamline armor which had blue lines running along the frame. The second bike had bulkier armor, with a side-car attached to it.

"We'll go after them on this Strider MK-4, and this Carrier MK-2," Zero said, as Beluga and Merveille mounted the first bike (Strider MK-4), while he mounted the second bike. "Get in."

"I'll follow Zero. You keep an eye on Shaolin. We need to be ready for anything," Sanzang said, which Fong nodded in response.

"Make yourself comfortable in that side-car, and hold on tight. Also, just to warn you Beluga, the Strider series emphasizes on speed, so watch yourself," Zero instructed as Sanzang got in, before revving up the engine.

"I'll keep that in mind. However, I'm used to high speeds, since Salamander's speed isn't anything to sneeze at either," Beluga answered.

"Well, either way, I'm certainly interested to see more of your peoples' technology at work, Zero," Merveille chuckled, as she was already taking a closer look at the bikes, fascinated by the technology.

"Well, let's go!" Zero said, as they raced off.

"This certainly is an interesting device. It's faster than any horse I've ever seen," Sanzang commented, as he was forced to grab on to the sides of the side-car.

"It certainly is. I just hope your students don't get thrown off, since the D-cycles at top speed are at least 3 times faster than the Carrier series," Zero nodded.

-JSCR-

_Interestingly enough…_

The trip had been anything but pleasant for the three Wuzangs, as they were **not** used to the speeds available to the D-Cycles. So much so, that by the time they had reached the outskirts of the village and stopped, the first thing they did was throw themselves at the ground.

"Land! Sweet land!" the three of them cried (tears included), as they were all but kissing the ground in relief.

"…Are they gonna be okay?" Mamoru asked as he watched the three Wuzangs recover from something unheard of in their world: technology induced motion sickness.

"That's it, we are never getting on one of those things again," Cheng said, which Hua and Tang agreed with wholeheartedly.

"Don't worry, if this world is anything like ours, you've still got centuries before humans even think to invent one of these, so I'm pretty sure you three would be dust by that time," Red commented.

"Well good riddance!" the three of them yelled in relief.

"Hey, I think we should hurry. Waffle and Alicia might need our help," Elh said, catching their attention.

"Before you do that, wait up!" came Opera's voice, as they turned to see Calua, Opera, and Gren who had finally managed to catch up to them.

"Yes, it certainly won't do you any good to leave us when we want to help," Gren nodded in agreement, while Calua also nodded.

"Alright then, since we're all here, let's go!" Red said, as they all headed straight for the village.

-JSCR-

_Meanwhile…_

The village that the Black Foxes had attacked was not in good shape. While the fires that had started earlier were already out, the village was currently in Heihu's hands, with the villagers all captured, and at the center of the village was a statue that currently had a couple of new accessories in the form of Waffle and Alicia who were currently chained to the statue. How did they end up in this position? It certainly wasn't the Black Foxes, as Waffle and Alicia had easily dealt with a majority of the Black Foxes that had invaded the village. No, it was rather the fact that they had been caught off guard by Heihu who had suddenly appeared in the village, and before they could react, he had used his telekinesis to pick them up, before slamming them against several houses, effectively knocking them out.

"Well…at least we can't say our date was boring," Waffle laughed nervously. Nearby, their weapons, and their communicators were in a pile, though thankfully the Black Foxes didn't bother to take their cards, so at least they didn't need to worry about their cover being blown, nor did they have to worry about their Crystals, since both the braces and the crystals would only appear when they willed them to appear.

"Yeah…All things considered, this could have been worse," Alicia nodded, realizing that her boyfriend was trying to lighten the mood, which made her smile slightly. "So, are we going to bust out or what?"

"Not yet. As far as they're concerned, we're helpless hostages right now, so we might learn something from them," Waffle said.

"Right. They might lower their guard in this situation," Alicia nodded.

Any further conversation was stopped when Heihu suddenly levitated down in front of them.

"So you are the foreigners who dare get in my way," Heihu sneered as he took a closer look. Close enough that Waffle and Alicia could feel his breath. "I must say, I'm not impressed."

"Oh yeah? If we're not impressive, then your followers must be downright disappointing considering they couldn't even beat the two of us," Alicia smirked.

"You dare mock the great Heihu?!" Heihu roared in anger, as his face turned into a more grotesque form.

"Yeah, we dare. So what does an 'oh so great' demon like you want with this village?" Waffle said in defiance.

"I doubt some foreigners would know anything, so I'll explain. First of all, do you even know who you are talking too?" Heihu sneered.

A vein mark appeared on Alicia's head, and surprisingly, on Waffle's head as well. However, Waffle managed to maintain his composure. "You're Heihu, right? The demon that Shaolin sealed 1000 years ago," Waffle answered calmly, knowing that in this position, it would be better to avoid angering Heihu.

"Interesting, so you do know of me. Then you must know what I seek," Heihu said, his tone still condescending.

"Something about a book. Why don't you go raid a library? I'll bet they've got plenty of books your age," Alicia retorted.

"You dare mock me girl?!" Heihu roared, before calming down. "The book I seek, the second book of wisdom was hidden somewhere in these lands. I have found many books, yet none of them were the book I seek. However, I learned something interesting recently," Heihu sneered. "The hermit was craftier than I imagined. He purposely hid the fake books in the places one would expect to find the book of wisdom, places filled with great peril, while he hid the real book in a place where nobody would try to look. Within the mountain near this pitiful, unassuming village."

Just as he finished saying this, one of the Black Foxes brought the village head with him, before throwing him at Heihu's feet.

"Now then, tell me where the book of wisdom is hidden," Heihu ordered.

"I don't know what you are talking about, and even if I did, I would never tell the likes of you," the man said, trying to sound like he didn't know anything, and actually doing a pretty good job of doing so. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to fool Hiehu.

"I see. In that case…" he started, before turning to the barn where the other villagers were kept. "Tell me where the book is hidden, or they'll pay for it with their lives," he said, as his hand ignited with fire, clearly showing the threat.

At this point, Waffle and Alicia had seen enough. Mentally willing their Crystal Braces to appear, they were about to blow their cover when the cavalry arrived.

"Hold it right there!" Red's voice called out, as said disguised Caninu landed a flying kick to Heihu's face, sending him flying back. As Red landed on the ground, Elh and Mamoru quickly jumped down next to him, while the Wuzangs, Opera, Calua, and Gren readied their weapons.

"Sorry we're late, you two. Looks like you had a rough time," Opera said with a slight chuckle, much to Alicia's annoyance.

Sensing the impending argument, Waffle quickly decided to nip it in the bud. "Nah, we could take them. Heihu just caught us by surprise. What took you guys so long?" he joked.

"Well, we're her now, so that's all that matters," Elh said almost dismissively, while Red quickly cut the chains that were binding them.

"Hey dude, you guys planning on talking, or are you gonna help us clear out these Black Foxes?" Calua said, catching their attention.

"Indeed, we mustn't leave them to their own devices, not when they could cause more harm later," Gren nodded in agreement.

"Right!" the five Cyrstalrangers nodded in unison.

The ensuing battle didn't last long, as the Black Foxes were quickly beaten by the combined efforts of both the Wuzangs as well as their other-worldly friends. As a result, it wasn't long before most of the Black Foxes were successfully captured. It was at this point that Heihu managed to recover from Red's surprise attack and rejoin the battle.

"Who dares strike the mighty Heihu?!" Heihu demanded as his hands ignited in blue flames.

"Hey lady, if you want a piece of this tail, you've gotta catch me first!" Red taunted, before blowing a raspberry.

"You dare?! You will die for this, boy!" Heihu roared.

"You'll have to get through us first!" Mamoru said, as he, Elh, Waffle, and Alicia quickly jumped in the way with their weapons at the ready.

"The same goes for us too!" Cheng, Tang, and Hua said in unison, while Calua, Opera, and Gren stood by their side.

"Very well, I shall eliminate all of you as well!" Heihu roared as he was about to fling more fireballs at them. However, he was interrupted when a gunshot rang through the air, and hit his right hand. "Raaargh!" he roared in pain as he grabbed his now bleeding right hand.

"Not on my watch…" came Zero's voice, as they all turned to see him holding a smoking gun, with Beluga (who also had his gun ready), Merveille, and Master Sanzang by his side.

"End of the line, Heihu. Make any sudden moves, and the next shot goes through your head," Beluga stated, making sure Heihu knew what his position was.

Heihu's eyes narrowed, but he knew he was at a disadvantage, so deciding to cut his losses; he vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Coward," Alicia commented, as they regrouped and freed the villagers.

"Oh, thank you very much. How can we ever repay you?" the village chief said.

"Well, you can start by telling us why Heihu was so intent on taking this village," Sanzang answered.

"Not necessary. He blabbed his whole plan to us earlier," Waffle quickly said, before turning to his teammates (minus Alicia). "What? You think we were just sitting around waiting for a rescue?"

"So what did Heihu want this village for, anyway?" Hua asked.

"Apparently, this village knows where that book you're looking for is," Waffle said.

"What? Is this true?" Sanzang asked the village chief.

"Yes, it is true. The hermit entrusted the location of the second book to the chief of this village 1000 years ago, and that secret has been passed down from father to son for generations," the village chief sighed.

"Can you tell us? We need to find the book before Heihu does, and now that he knows the book is here, he will surely return," Tang said.

The village chief seemed torn, but finally conceded. "Very well, I will take you there," he sighed, before he led them to the spot where the book was hidden.

-JSCR-

It wasn't long before the village chief led them to a cavern hidden behind a nearby waterfall.

"It's always behind the waterfall isn't it?" Zero muttered as he face-palmed at the cliché hiding spot. It seemed the Hermit they had been hearing so much about had a sense of humor.

"Here is the book," the village chief said, as he pressed what looked like a regular rock, revealing a hidden compartment with a book inside it.

Taking the book, Sanzang flipped through it for a moment, before his eyes widened. "This is…This is the real book! We've finally found it!"

"That's great news!" Mamoru said happily, knowing just how important it was for their new friends to find the book.

"Yeah, that's one more win for us!" Hua cheered.

"…and now she just jinxed us," Zero face-palmed again, having seen this many times.

"Lighten up will ya. They've been searching for so long, they deserve to celebrate a little," Red chided.

"I'm all for celebrating success. What I don't agree on is counting chickens before they hatch. We're not home free yet, so for all we know something could happen…" Zero started, but was interrupted when a fireball flew at them, forcing them to dodge. "Now…"

Turning towards the source of the fireball, they saw Heihu looming towards them. "I ought to thank you for finding the book for me. Therefore, I shall repay you with a swift end!"

"I knew this would happen…" Zero muttered, before whipping out his gun. "Hey! Over here you old relic!" he taunted, before firing several rounds, which Heihu managed to block.

"Insolent worm! Once I get the book, you shall die a slow and painful death!" Heihu roared.

"Been there, done that! Didn't even get the damn T-shirt!" Zero shouted, as underneath the bandages that covered his face, a glow could be seen, before he pulled out a sword handle from under his cloak, and triggering his sword to unfold from it. "Kurai! Phantasm Blade!" Zero called out, as before the eyes of everyone watching, he seemed to shimmer and split into several copies of himself, all of which encircled Heihu.

"What trick is this?!" Heihu demanded as he started throwing fireballs in random directions.

"One that you'll never figure out!" Zero shot back, before slicing Heihu's back, causing him to get flung forward. "Run! I'll hold him off!"

"But Zero…!" Waffle started in alarm.

"I'll be fine. A mere demon like Hiehu doesn't have what it takes to put me down for good," Zero quickly said, much to their confusion, but they obeyed anyway.

"What do you think he meant by what he just said?" Elh asked as they ran out of the cavern.

"I am uncertain. However, he talks like he's already died before, judging by how casually he talks about death," Merveille observed.

"That's impossible. The dead stay dead, not come back to life," Beluga said.

"As much as I'd like to agree, that's not always true. Look at Bruno. He's been dead for a year, and now the Demon Heart revived him," Red reminded.

Before any further discussions could happen, a gang of Black Foxes suddenly jumped out from behind the trees, surrounding them.

"Don't look now, but we've got company," Tang said, as all of them (minus the village chief who had already fled) pulled out their weapons, ready to fight.

"You shall not get the book!" Sanzang declared, as the fight began.

However, during the fight the book which had ended up in Merveille's hands (the book had been tossed around in the fight), got knocked away.

"The book!" all the combatants shouted.

The book fell, before landing in someone's hand. Specifically a hand covered in purple fur.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Fool smirked.

"Fool!" the rangers called out.

"How convenient. I was just looking for a perfect vessel, and you give me just what I'm looking for," he smirked again, as the mountain began trembling and a dark aura seeped out.

"What the furballs is going on?!" Red demanded, as they pointed their weapons at them.

"Why, it's just our plan coming into motion," Fool sneered, before lifting up the book. "By my master's evil power, I offer this book to be the vessel of this world! Drag this world down to its eternal end! Awaken! Gem Sentinel: Akashia!" Fool called out, as the dark aura entered the book, and from within the mountain, a gemstone the size of a boulder emerged, glowing with an ominous purple light. Tendrils of evil energy emerged from the gemstone, before attaching to the book, as the two were enveloped in the purple light. When the light dissipated, what emerged was something they had not expected. The being that emerged was humanoid and dressed in what could be best described as a monk's robe. The figure was male, with stark white hair that was cropped in a short fashion. He had piercing yellow eyes, and most distinguishing was the purple gemstone embedded on his forehead.

"What the furballs is that?!" Red demanded in surprise.

"Damn it! It's a Gem Sentinel!" Zero cursed, remembering the part of the legend.

"A what?" was the general question.

"A Gem Sentinel! I never said anything about them, since the legends were always very unclear about them, but the gist is that they're essentially the 'roots' that allow the Demon Heart to take over a world," Zero answered before they were forced to dodge an attack.

"Interesting. So there are those who know what I am. However, knowing is just half the battle! Now, come to me, brother!" Akashia roared, as a ball of light came down to him, before parting and revealing the first Book of Wisdom.

"My book of wisdom!" Heihu roared in rage, before charging at Akashia. A big mistake.

"Hmph! You've had my brother for so long, yet you have truly learned nothing from him," Akashia snorted as he began chanting, before a barrier formed around him, stopping Heihu cold, followed by the sky darkening and a lightning bolt coming down to strike the demon, who fled immediately after the attack.

"What the furballs was that?!" Red demanded, a sentiment that all his teammates shared.

"Impossible! Only one who possesses both books should have been able to command forces like that!" Sanzang said in disbelief.

"Technically he does posses both books, since he IS one of the books!" Zero said, as they all narrowly avoided another attack that the Gem Sentinel had launched.

"Doesn't make a difference! Let's go everyone!" Alicia shouted, earning nods in response as they summoned their Crystal Braces.

"Crystal Access!"

(Insert henshin sequence)

Each of them was encased in a larger version of their respective Infinity Crystal, before the crystals broke apart to reveal each of them in matching uniforms that were colored red (Red), blue (Elh), yellow (Mamoru), white (Waffle), and black (Alicia) respectively (in Mamoru's case, he had actually gone through a growth spurt, resulting in him becoming only slightly shorter than Red). The suits they were wearing looked like basic ranger suits, with an emblem that looked like a seven pointed star, with each point being a different color (clockwise from the top: red, blue, yellow, white, black, silver, and gold) on their chest. Gold lines ran down their shoulders, and around their collars. On their arms and legs, they wore white gloves and boots with silver lines around the wrist and ankles. The finishing touch was their helmets that appeared on their heads. Each helmet was shaped accordingly to their species, with a black visor over their eyes, with the boys getting dog themed helmets, and the girls getting cat themed helmets.

(Henshin sequence end)

"What? It was you! You five were the ones from that time!" Sanzang said in surprise.

"Sorry, but we had to keep it a secret," Crystal White said in apology.

"Apologies can wait. For now, you five have to defeat the Gem Sentinel before it starts to take root," Zero said, as he quickly motioned for the others to follow him, leaving the Rangers to deal with Akashia.

"Well then, you heard him. Let's deal with this guy first!" Crystal Yellow said, earning nods, before the five of them charged at Akashia.

"I see you five still need more proof of my power! Try this!" Akashia roared as he chanted another spell. This time ice shards appeared in the air, before forming blades which were sent flying towards the Rangers.

"Not gonna happen! Mamoru, let's go!" Crystal Black said, as she and Crystal Yellow got their weapons out, before she started lashing out with her whip, breaking as many of the blades as she could, while Crystal Yellow used his shield to block the remaining blades that got through.

"Not bad… Try this!" Akashia sneered as he chanted another spell, this time firing fireballs that caused explosions around them before several of them seemingly engulfed them. However, when the smoke cleared, the five Crystalrangers were still running towards him, as all the fireballs had been blocked by Crystal Blue who had casted a barrier spell using her staff.

"Now!" Crystal Blue shouted as she dispelled the barrier.

"Right!" Crystal Red and Crystal White nodded before they opened fire with their weapons, only for the shots to be blocked by Akashia raising a barrier of his own, before casting another spell which caused stone spikes to jut out of the ground, smashing into them and causing sparks to fly from their suits.

"Almost had me there. Not bad, but not good enough," Akashia laughed.

"Heh! Did you really think this was all we had?" Crystal Red smirked with a knowing grin under his helmet.

"What?!" Akashia demanded, just as Crystal White suddenly got up, having managed to avoid most of the spikes, before Crystal Red threw his sword at him, which he caught and loaded on his bow.

"Take this! Pierce shot!" Crystal White called out, as he launched the Courage Sword at Akashia, who quickly erected another barrier. However, this time instead of bouncing off, the sword embedded itself in the barrier, and before Akashia could react, Crystal Red had already jumped forward and grabbed his sword, before switching it to gun mode and opening fire. The shots caused an explosion and threw him back, but the result was a sizeable crack in the barrier.

"Now!" Crystal Red shouted, as his teammates launched their attacks at the barrier.

Akashia grunted against the strain as the ranged attacks pelted his barrier, making the cracks grow bigger, but he ultimately managed to hold the barrier. Feeling smug, he was about to gloat, just as he saw the five Crystalrangers jump up and bring their weapons to bear down on his barrier.

"Hyaaah!" the five of them roared as their weapons simultaneously smashed against the barrier, this time breaking through the weakened barrier and striking Akashia with their weapons, causing sparks to fly as the Gem Sentinel was thrown back.

"I-Impossible! I should be invincible! Who…Who the hell are you?!" Akashia demanded as he staggered to his feet.

"You really want to know?" Crystal Yellow asked almost innocently.

"Then we'll tell you!" Crystal Red said, before they began their role call.

"Blazing Courage!" Crystal Red called out, before striking a pose with his sword (he lifts his sword up, like a triumphant warrior). "Crystal Red!"

"Ancient Wisdom!" Crystal Blue called out; as she too went into a pose with her staff (she holds her staff in a straight up position, with her right hand grasping the staff, while her left hand placed behind the crystal end of the staff, as though she were preparing to fire a spell). "Crystal Blue!"

"Endless Hope!" Crystal Yellow called out; as he went into a pose with his shield (he holds his shield forward, like a defender ready to charge into his enemies). "Crystal Yellow!"

"Shining Light!" Crystal White called out, before going into a pose with his bow (he holds his bow horizontally in his right fist, with the fist facing downward, with his left hand stretched behind it, as though he was about to fire an arrow). "Crystal White!"

"Protecting Darkness!" Crystal Black called out, before going into a pose with her whip (she holds the handle of her whip in her right hand, while stretching out the whip with her left hand, as though she is about to give her opponents the whipping of their lives). "Crystal Black!"

The five of them then stood together, before pointing at Akashia.

"Shattering the false power of evil! United, we shine!" they called out as they jumped down in front of the Gem Sentinel. "Jigen Sentai Crystalranger!" they called out together, as they spun around so that their backs were facing Akashia, just as a multi-colored explosion went off behind them, which damaged Akashia, throwing him back a few feet, as well as signaling the end of their roll call.

"Your romp in this world is over!" Crystal Blue declared.

"So now it's time for you to hit the road!" Crystal Red added as they immediately began combining their weapons.

"Assemble!" they called out as they put their weapons together. The Light Bow was attached on top of the Courage Sword's barrel, followed by the Wisdom Staff, which was split into two halves, before being attached to the two edges of The Light Bow. Following this, the Hope Shield was attached on top of the Light Bow, locking it into place. The finishing touch was the Dark Whip, which was placed under the Courage Sword's barrel.

"Crystal Blaster!" they declared as they leveled the weapon at Akashia.

"I-I won't be defeated!" Akashia proclaimed as he raised another barrier, which seemed several times stronger than the one they had broken.

"You can raise as many barriers as you like, but we'll still break through!" Crystal Black shouted, as they fired their attack.

"Prism Wave!" they declared as the beam of energy was fired, before it impacted against the barrier.

Akashia grunted as the beam tried to break through his barrier. "Give it up! I command the powers of Heaven and Earth! You can't win!"

"Oh yeah?" Crystal Red said. "Well screw that! We don't care if you hold the power of Heaven and Earth, or even the entire galaxy! We won't let the Demon Heart win!" he roared out.

"That's right!" Crystal Blue nodded in agreement.

"We…" Crystal White started.

"Will never…" Crystal Black continued.

"Give up!" Crystal Yellow finished, as the five of them began subconsciously tapping into more power from their crystals as for a split second, their suits changed as they gained somewhat tribal looking markings, followed by their helmets gaining more human-like appearances, before quickly reverting back to normal as the extra energy flowed into the Crystal Blaster as the beam intensified.

Cracks started appearing on Akashia's barrier, before it broke apart like fragile glass and Akashia was engulfed in the energy.

"No! No no no!" Akashia roared as he was engulfed by the beam before sparks flew from his body thanks to the immense damage he sustained, before his body crystallized and broke apart.

With the Gem Sentinel defeated, the five of them turned their faces skyward, before Crystal Red shouted. "I hope you saw that, Fool, Bruno! We don't care what you send at us! We'll never give up until we send your master back where it belongs!"

-JSCR-

_At the same time…_

"Graaaaah! Damn those insolent meddlers!" Bruno roared in anger as he smashed his fist against the viewing globe, while Fool seemed just as displeased despite not showing it.

Just as the two of them were about try to figure out what to do next, the Demon Heart's eye appeared over the viewing globe.

"Master!" the two of them said in alarm, slightly worried what might happen to them thanks to this failure.

"_So these meddlers who have barely begun to use the powers of the Infinity Crystals think they can defeat me? Interesting… I shall test them!_" the Demon Heart said, before sending a blast of energy towards the sight of the battle.

-JSCR-

Back on the battlefield, the sky began to darken.

"What in the world? This isn't like how Fool or Bruno did last time!" Crystal Yellow said in surprise.

"Well, whatever is happening, it can't be good," Crystal Blue said, as they got their answer.

Several bolts of energy shot down and struck the shards that remained from Akashia's defeat, before they suddenly came together and reformed Akashia.

"Okay, that's different," Crystal Black commented as they all got into their stances, prepared to fight the Gem Sentinel again, but were surprised when cracks started to appear on his head, before he was seemingly split down the middle by the cracks.

From those cracks, a familiar eye (the eye of the Demon Heart) appeared, followed by a blinding flash of light. When the light subsided, a gigantic version of Akashia stood where the original had been.

"I live!" Akashia cackled almost madly.

Wasting no time, the five of them immediately pulled out their weapons.

"Jigen Shokan! Crystal Animals!"

The lights from the weapons formed the portals, allowing the Crystal Animals to emerge, and the Crystalrangers wasted no time in boarding, before immediately initiating their fusion.

"Crystal Animals! Crystal Gattai!"

(Insert gattai sequence)

Crystal Dragon's legs folded together, before the upper body did a 180 degree twist, as the wings folded together to form a sort of chest plate, while the neck, head, and lower body remained the same, followed by the neck pulling back into the torso, leaving only the head, which bent down, completing the head and torso. Following this, Crystal Rhino unfolded to form the legs and waist, with the Rhino's head becoming the right foot, while the left foot had a blunt shaped foot. The legs of the Crystal Wolf and Crystal Lioness folded into their bodies, before the heads bent downward into a 90 degree position, as their tails folded upward, revealing hands, completing the arms, with the heads of the two Crystal Animals becoming the shoulders. Crystal Eagle straightened out, before all the Crystal Animals came together, with Crystal Eagle's talons locked between the torso and the waist, as Crystal Eagle attached to the back of the torso, and the wings folded in, while the legs and arms were securely locked in place (Wolf used as right arm, and Lioness used as left arm). To finish off, a golden helmet appeared and fitted itself on to Crystal Dragon's head, as the horns grew longer, giving it the appearance of a (literal) Dragon Knight. Inside, the Crystalrangers now found themselves together in a much larger chamber, with their individual consoles right in front of them.

(Gattai sequence end)

"Crystal Knight! Shine-On!" the five of them called out, as they inserted their weapons into their individual consoles, powering up the Gattai.

"I see you're back for more!" Akashia roared as he chanted the spell that sent exploding fireballs at the Gattai, causing sparks to fly on contact.

"Guh! Is it just me, or does he seem tougher now?" Crystal Red grunted as they maintained the balance of the Gattai.

"It's not just you. I think it really has gotten stronger, and it doesn't help that Crystal Knight isn't exactly built for speed," Crystal Blue grimaced.

"Doesn't matter! We'll just have to plough through!" Crystal Black said with determination.

"Right!" was the unanimous reply, as they started steering Crystal Knight straight at Akashia.

"Haven't you learned your lesson? You should just give it up!" Akashia laughed as he fired more fireballs at the Gattai, yet it still kept moving towards him.

"We already told you! We will never give up!" Crystal Red shouted, as Crystal Knight sent a strong punch right at Akashia's face, making him stagger back.

"Crystal Saber!" the five of them called out, as Crystal Knight began striking at Akashia repeatedly with its sword, causing Akashia to stagger back.

"Not bad. Try this!" Akashia said, before he suddenly took off into the sky, before summoning lightning that struck the Gattai.

"Uwaaaah!" the five of them cried out as their control chamber shook violently from the damage.

"How are we supposed to hit him if he's flying?!" Crystal White almost demanded, as Akashia was now effectively outside of their attack range.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way!" Crystal Yellow encouraged.

"That's right! One way or another, we'll get him even if we have to drag him down!" Crystal Red nodded enthusiastically.

"You fools should just give up! As I am now, I truly am the master of Heaven and Earth!" Akashia goaded.

"How many times do we have to tell you?!" Crystal Black growled in annoyance.

"We will…" Crystal Blue started.

"Never give up!" the five of them finished in unison, just as their Crystals began to glow brightly, before the entire control chamber began to glow.

"What's happening?" Crystal Blue asked in awe, before the five of them noticed their crystals glowing.

"Is this…? I think we're tapping into more of the Infinity Crystals' powers," Crystal White observed, before new information entered their minds.

"Alright! This power boost couldn't have come at a better time!" Crystal Red grinned, before they all re-gripped their weapons. "Let's go wild!"

Outside, Crystal Knight was suddenly enveloped in the energy, before Crystal Eagle's wings unfolded and grew bigger. Kicking off the ground, Crystal Knight took to the sky.

"What?! You can fly!" Akashia gasped, before Crystal Knight struck him with the Crystal Saber.

"Graargh! Not bad!" Akashia grimaced, before sending more bolts of lightning and fire at the Gattai.

"Not this time!" Crystal Blue grinned, as Crystal Knight easily avoided all of the attacks before charging at Akashia.

"Time to end this!" Crystal Red said as the five of them pulled out their weapons from the consoles, before the weapons transformed into copies of the Crystal Saber, while their respective Infinity Crystals glowed brightly.

Outside, five copies of the Infinity Crystals appeared, before growing larger and encircled Akashia, immobilizing him, as five more copies appeared in Crystal Knight's flight path.

"Crystal Saber! Infinity Slash!" the five of them called out as they struck downward with their respective weapons, while Crystal Knight flew through all five of the images, and when it got close to Akashia, it unleashed a devastating side-way strike as it passed him.

Crystal Knight flipped in mid-air, before landing gently on the ground, as the crystals that encircled Akashia seemed to glow brightly as sparks flew from the Gem Sentinel before they lifted him up higher.

"You may have defeated me…but my master will prevail!" Akashia managed to roar out, before he exploded in a blaze of glory up in the sky.

Inside Crystal Knight, the five Crystalranger were cheering for their victory, as Zero confirmed it for them.

"Signals negative. Gem Sentinel eliminated. Mission accomplished," Zero confirmed over the cheers from their allies, as this world was now safe.

-JSCR-

"_Interesting. They actually managed to defeat a Gem Sentinel,_" The Demon Heart mused, before turning towards his generals. "_We are leaving. While the loss of this world is disappointing, it is ultimately of little value,_" it ordered.

"At once, Master!" Fool said as he and Bruno bowed their heads.

-JSCR-

Zero lowered his communicator, just as he noticed something coming down from the sky, before catching it. That something revealed to be the two Books of Wisdom.

"The books!" Hua said, as she, Tang, Cheng, and Master Sanzang ran towards Zero.

They didn't get far, as suddenly a fire appeared around Zero and Heihu appeared from a puff of smoke. "Why thank you. I'll be taking those!"

"Not going to happen…" Zero said quietly as the air around him seemed to change before a wind kicked up and dispelled the flames.

With the flames gone, everyone could see a golden glow coming from Zero's head, specifically from underneath his bandages.

"I will not be denied!" Heihu roared, heedless of the golden light, as he charged at Zero, intent on taking the books by force.

"Begone!" Zero stated, before Heihu flew smack into a wall of golden energy, before he was thrown away into the distance, much to everyone's shock.

"Hey, was Zero always this strong?" Red asked, as he and the others had just gotten to the scene after the battle.

"Dunno. He's never really fought before," Waffle said. Any further conversation was halted when Zero undid his bandages, revealing his face from underneath the bandages. It was at this point that everyone could see what Zero had been hiding from them. His face was horribly scarred, as the upper right side of his face was covered by a horrible burn mark that looked like something had either exploded in front of his face, or someone stuck something that was still fresh from the flames on his face. Despite the gruesome sight, one thing that drew everyone's attention was the strange crown shaped mark that was on top of his right eye, which was glowing with the same golden light they had seen earlier.

"The Master has spoken…" Zero suddenly said, sounding like he was in a trance. "The two books have been found, yet this is not the intended time. The chosen ones are not yet ready."

"What?" Sanzang asked in surprise, as he knew that Zero was referring to Tang, Cheng, and Hua.

"As things are now, these books will only bring ruin to this world," Zero continued.

"Then what must be done? Heihu will surely return, and we have no place to hide the books," Sanzang said.

"I shall hide them… In the one place neither Heihu or anyone will be able to find," Zero said, as the two books were encased within an orb of light, before Zero flung them into the sky and before long, beyond what anyone could see. "The books shall return one day. The day of destiny is approaching this world…" Zero continued, still in his trance-like state. "7 years. That is how long before the books return to this very spot. If the chosen ones are not ready by then, then this world shall have no future. That is how it shall be…" Zero finished as the crown mark stopped glowing, before he slumped to his knee. "Damn it. I hate it when that happens," he panted, as he got back to his feet.

-JSCR-

_One day later…_

"So you guys are leaving?" Hua asked, as their visitors had just finished packing their things.

"That's correct. Zero told us that he couldn't pick up anymore signals from the Shard Beast or the Demon Heart, so it looks like they've moved on to another world," Elh nodded.

"It's too bad you all couldn't stay. Heihu and his Black Foxes wouldn't stand a chance with you guys at our side," Cheng said.

"It can't be helped. We've got our responsibilities just as you three have yours," said Waffle.

"Well, if you guys ever are in the neighborhood, don't be strangers. Also, you still owe me a rematch, Red," Tang smiled challengingly.

"Heh, I might just take up your offer someday," Red grinned.

"Farewell. May the Gods be with you on your journey," Sanzang said with a grandfatherly smile.

"Thanks. We'll take care, and just you wait, once we're done the Demon Heart will be a thing of the past!" Mamoru said with a big grin as the five of them walked into the small ship that Zero had used to enter the world with Merveille and Beluga.

As the ship began to take off, the five Crystalrangers took one last look at the world they were going to leave, just in time to see the entire Shaolin Temple bowing in respect.

The five of them smiled, before they bowed as well to show their respect for the friends and comrades they had made, just as the hatch closed up.

-JSCR-

(Ending theme: "MiraiIro" by Plastic Trees. OST Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

_*music*_

As the music starts, we see shots of Red, Elh, Waffle, Alicia, and Mamoru (in this order), before the scene changes to show silhouettes of the five of them in Sentai form, with the shadow of Crystal Knight in the background.

_Hatenaki Sekai naraba kono Muneniwa Akashi o_

We see a scene zooming out, revealing Red holding the Courage Sword, pointing it at the screen. He has his usual cocky expression on his face. Along his arm, a faded picture of Crystal Dragon is seen.

_Onaji Namidanuretara BokuraWaraiaou_

The scene then changes to another zoom out scene, with this one showing Elh with her back turned, as though walking away. On her skirt, a faded picture of Crystal Eagle is seen.

_Toki Hanattetta Genjitsu de kizamu Kodouni Fureezu o_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Waffle who is seemingly doing a backward flip with a grin on his face, while pointing his Light Bow at the screen. On his leg, a faded picture of Crystal Wolf is seen.

_Kyoumei shiteku Kokoroni Oto o tatete Saku Namae no nai Hana_

The scene changes to show a zoom out scene of Alicia, who is seemingly doing a cart wheel, while pointing her Dark Whip at the screen, as though lashing out with it. On her pants, a faded picture of Crystal Lioness is seen.

_Osoroi no Ibasho Bokura Mitsukeru_

Another zoom out scene is shown, with this one showing Mamoru, who looks like he is about to leap out of the screen. On his uniform, a faded picture of Crystal Rhino is seen.

_Yume miruyou ni Mezamete Mirai madette Nobashita Te_

The scene changes to show Alicia who is holding her hand up, as though she is falling. Around her, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Stare (with her usual calm appearance), Flare (with her usual cheerful expression), Panta (looking determined as always), Matoi (with a happy smile on her face), Princess Terria (with a gentle smile on her face), Cyan (with his usual confident smile), and Fool (looking like he is planning something). Most noticeable of all is a silver colored crystal with a faded picture of Beluga (with a stoic look on his face).

_Tsukamu hanasu Kurikaeshi Sagashite_

The scene slowly shifts up to show Waffle who is holding out his hand, as though trying to catch Alicia before she falls. Around him, many crystals float around, with each of them having faded close up pictures of Opera (in her usual pose with her fan), Gren (dutifully standing with his arms crossed), Calua (with his usual big grin on his face), Merveille (smiling slightly), Chocolat (with her usual cheerful appearance), and Bruno (laughing insanely). Most noticeable of all is a gold colored crystal with a faded picture of Zero with his mask on.

_Omoi tsuiteku Iro de Kurayami date nurikaenagara_

The five Infinity Crystals are seen circling each other, before a hand reaches out for them, causing them to scatter

_Kioku KIZUNA Kibou to Kasanetara_

The scene zooms out to reveal two figures standing in a forest bathed with golden light.

_Mirai Iro zutto Bokura wa egaiteku_

The two figures reveal to be Red and Elh, as both stand side by side, watching the source of the golden light with their hands intertwined. The scene then shifts to reveal the light to be coming from the shining silhouette of an unknown Gattai, as the Infinity Crystals are seen revolving around it.

(Ending theme end)

-JSCR-

A/N: After a long wait, I have finally finished this chapter. Sorry for the wait, as I have been very preoccupied (not to mention the writer's block) with a many things, so I just had a hard time finishing this chapter, but I'd like to think that I'm happy with how I ended it this time. Well, stay tuned for the next chapter whenever that is.


End file.
